Samurai Cowboi
by ForeverSummerSnows
Summary: Zanza and Battousai; two dangerous bounty hunters with pasts that they seek to forget. Life has been about chasing bars and securing the bag. But then came along a sensei, a doctor, a child. And a fox. And then life slowly becomes more than securing bags. And to attain the future of possibilities they seek, they must return to their past. To nurse or bury, that remains to be seen.
1. One Big Misunderstanding

**Howdy.**

**Our story begins! Enjoy :) and review 3**

The Sakura tree was always lovely this time of the year. Kaoru Kamiya beamed as she hailed an afternoon greeting to the amulet peddler beneath it. The ravenette had always been one for superstition and hence a frequent patron of the retro-centric kiosk.

She raised her eyes to watch the late afternoon sun through the glass dome of the sector she had spent all her life in, the smile still on her face. It had been a beautiful day, all things considered.

She had lost her ninth swordsman student that day. She never had too many students to begin with, as kenjutsu was not really seen as more a proper self-defence skill than a recreational talent in today's society. Guns and space aeronautics was the order of the day and so her classes were never full, but at least she had a consistent and committed set to train.

Or she had had until some damn rogue bounty-hunter had gone round falsely claiming her fighting style as his preferred murder technique. This criminal had donned the name Battousai and sported red hair and a large X scar on the left side of his face. Kaoru's smile deemed and she idly kicked a pebble out of her path.

How she would love to give the bloody murderer a piece of her mind! What did he have to do with her, that he would take the fighting style her father perfected till his dying breath and drag it through the mud? He would definitely hear it from her; he was a serial killer too, targeting women who were actively taking non-domestic roles in society such as detective work, police, and martial arts. He was probably slandering her name to spite her - a swords-woman sensei - pending when she would become his next target. She sighed at the thought and stopped her stroll, holding her face up with her hand as she contemplated her predicament.

Well, Kaoru Kamiya of the Kamiya Kashin style was waiting for him either way, that much was certain. With resolve, she straightened her posture to resume her stroll, and quickly took a casual sweeping glance around before making her way. She was determined to enjoy this beautiful day with a peaceful stroll-

Her eyes quickly returned to the man sporting vibrant red hair on the other side of the road, and they narrowed as he made his way across to the sweet peddler lady she had walked by. She couldn't turn away from the X shaped scar on the left side of his face.

...

'Kenshin we have to leave this place soon, we're running behind on our next hit and we're out of cash.'

'Again?' Kenshin Himura sounded incredulous, surprised at how quickly they had blown through their last bounty reward.

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN AGAIN YOU'RE THE ONE THAT STUFFED THE FRIDGE WITH DANGO AND ICE-CREAM YOU-!'

Kenshin winced and held the phone away from his ear, chuckling nervously as the other speaker continued to rant on about the redhead's incurable addiction to sweet things and threatening to actually visit a dentist to pull the damn sweet-tooth out. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He put the phone back to his ear when he no longer heard the other man shouting.

'My apologies, Sanosuke-san,' he responded quietly and smiled when said Sanosuke muttered something about him using honorifics when he knew he was in trouble. Kenshin turned his head and noticed a quaint little amulet kiosk under a great Sakura tree. Sanosuke was a very superstitious man, and would surely appreciate a token of good fortune as his atonement for indulging in sweets. 'I'll be by the ship soon, just give me a moment.'

'It damn well better be a moment or you'll be sorry!'

'Tsk,' Kenshin couldn't help but smirk at the threat, knowing his partner would never try to harm him. He stuck his hands in the pocket of his Yukata to check for some spare change. He loved the Tokyo sector during this time of the year and came when Sanosuke thought they could to enjoy it. He was not about to let his partner cut the experience short, no matter how loudly he ranted about it.

He made his way to the kind old lady and smiled in his greeting, bending over to browse through her display of plushie rabbit feet, horse-shoe key-chains, rainbow scrunchies, lady-bug robot-dolls, and four-leaf clover necklace pendants amongst other items of luck. He lifted the rabbit foot and held it out to the lady.

'Ne baa-chan, how much is the bunny foot?' He smiled at her as he tilted his head. 'I hope its good enough to give to my comrade as an apology; I'm afraid I'm a bit short in cash.' The old woman swooned under his amethyst gaze and held her chin.

'It's no cost at all dearie-'

'Baa-chan look out!'

Before Kenshin could look up to identify the owner of such a loud voice, a fist connected with his jaw and sent him flying into the ground. The kiosk owner gasped and in shock and covered her mouth in surprise.

'Kamiya-san!'

'I'm sorry you have to see this baa-chan, but you must stay where you are. This man is a dangerous criminal,' the ravenette attacker looked at the woman with determined sapphire eyes, in a battle-ready stance. Her hand was on the hilt of her bokken, and she turned her gaze to the fallen ginger-head on the ground. He stared up at her in disbelief and blinked twice. 'Battousai the Man-Slayer! You have dragged my father's name and that of my family through the mud for weeks! But no more!' She drew her sword menacingly and brandished it at him. 'You'll regret the day you messed with me, Battousai.'

'I think there's been some mistake Kamiya-san,' he began with a nervous chuckle, slowly rising to her his feet as he rubbed his left cheek. 'I am not who you think I am.' He raised his hands in a show of innocence and attempted to take a step the girl thrust her sword forward to caution him. He took a step back instead.

'Stay where you are!' She warned and scoffed. 'X shaped scar on the left-side cheek and hair that bleeds the blood of his enemies.' Behind her, the poor old amulet seller gasped and took refuge behind the tree with her market. 'You can't fool me. You're a lot shorter than I expected - I'll admit,' his right eye twitched at the comment. 'But you can't fool me!' She took another step closer. 'I'm going to make sure I send you to the authorities a broken mess. Now tell me why you're insistent on falsely claiming my family techniques to commit your heinous crimes -'

Kenshin's phone started to ring in his pocket. He winced and laughed sheepishly when she scowled at him, slightly thrown off by the interruption.

'You'll have to forgive me Kamiya-san,' he pleaded as he slowly lowered his hand and drew out the phone from his pocket. He answered the phone and put it to his ears.

'IT'S BEEN A DAMN MINUTE HIMURA YOU'RE A DEAD MAN-' Kenshin winced and held the phone away from him as his partner continued to rant furiously. 'I'LL START THROWING OUT YOUR DANGO IF YOU DON'T COME BACK TO THE SHIP!'

'Sano no please!' Kenshin whispered loudly. 'I'm in the middle of a...' he glanced at the girl whos patience was starting to wear thin. '...situation. I bought something to make-up for-'

'Battousai! End that call and face your reckoning!'

'Hold on I've been keeping my friend waiting for a while, Kamiya-san,' Kenshin absently raised one finger at her to signal her pause, and she blinked, taken aback by the situation. 'Sanosuke please stop laughing she isn't an admirer! She's got quite the temper actually-'

'That's it!' she snapped, provoked by Kenshin's comment on her temper and charged at him. She made to deliver another punch to his face, but he easily side-stepped and caught her wrists, before tripping her with a kick to the ankle and tackling her to the ground, trapping her beneath him and between his knees. She tried to claw at his face but he held her two wrists in one hand. He offered her an easy smile and leaned back.

'I'll be there soon Sanosuke,' he assured and chuckled into the phone. 'Talk later.' With that the call was ended, phone returned and attention back on his attacker. He sighed. 'Kamiya-san you have been quite the force to reckon with, but I'm afraid this tirade of yours must come to an end.' A small smirk came to his lips. 'Though I couldn't help find it the most attractive as well, I must ad-'

'So now you want to kill me, as you've done all those other women,' she hissed. 'How sad that a man who clings so hard to the archaic ways of thinking has the power to end lives.' Kenshin let go of her hands to facepalm at the situation and he shook his head in complete exasperation. She tried to use this opportunity to strangle him but he easily caught them and pinned them to the ground on either side, before leaning over for their eyes to meet.

'Kamiya-san this is neither the time or the place to initiate such an-risque activity,' he teased, his eyes narrowing to playful slits. Her cheeks turned red with heat and she turned her eyes from him. 'Heh,' he sat up again and crossed his arms. 'I'll say this again: I am not the man you are looking for, Kamiya-san. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a ton of lucky charms to buy to help me apologize to my partner.' He stood up and offered a helping hand to her. She rejected it, opting to stand by herself and crossed her arms across her chest.

'So what are you then?'

'Funny you should ask,' he mused and smiled. 'I'm a bounty hunter.'

'I don't fancy you lot either! You're all money chasers and grabbers, with no real code of conduct to guide your operations.' She scowled and pointed at him accusingly. Kenshin chuckled and shrugged.

'I suppose so. Well, I guess I won't bother staying to find out who is using my name and yours to commit all those heinous murders then,' he reasoned. He went to the woman by the tree and offered his apologies, before buying a bag of amulets and tipping her extra atop his payments for the trouble. The girl gaped at him.

'Wait, so you are Battousai?!'

'Not Battousai the manslayer, that's for sure. Battousai the Samurai? Yes, nice to meet you Kamiya-san.' He corrected with a pleasant smile as he closed his eyes. 'Well, good luck finding the fraud trying to make a reputation off our names. I would help, but I have no code of conduct to tell me so, and its honestly a you-problem anyways.' He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly with his insufferable smile. 'Goodbye!'

...

Kaoru Kamiya watched the bounty hunter walk away till he disappeared around a corner. She went over to apologize to the woman profusely and tipped her for her troubles. She walked back home in silence and made her way to her dojo. She sat down to meditate by the family shrine and let out a long sigh.

"Stupid Kaoru."

...

Kenshin quietly alighted the space-ship, hoping his partner had fallen asleep waiting for him.

'You're not trying to be stealthy, now stop mocking me with whatever it is you think you're doing.'

'Sanosuke!' Kenshin responded nervously, taken by surprise by the taller man's sudden appearance. The spiky-haired brunette glared down at him, unimpressed. Kenshin sheepishly handed him the bag of lucky charms and bowed. 'My apologies dear friend.'

Sanosuke Sagara gave his fellow bounty hunter a long, hard look after inspecting the contents of the bag and finding good luck charms, and then sighed.

'Your dango is still in the fridge.'

Kenshin beamed at him and went his merry way to chomp down on his beloved sweets.

With his ravenette attacker prominent at the back of his mind.

**SEE YOU NEXT TIME, SAMURAI COWBOI.**

**And... done.**

**Chapter one guys. Hope you liked it.**

**Don't forget to review, okay? =UwU=**


	2. Enter Battousai! which Battousai?

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy reading and don't forget to review! 3**

'Kenshin we can't afford to stay another day in Tokyo, there's a galaxy full of criminals and they are calling our names to catch them!'

'But the air is so nice~'

'If I break your nose will you still be able to smell the damn air 'cause I'm thinking about it!' Sanosuke growled loudly, clenching his fists. 'I'm thinking about it real hard!'

Kenshin chuckled nervously, bashfully rubbing the back of his head.

The two had been arguing about the direction of their ship's next course for days. Sanosuke was eager to get back in the game and chase after the expensive scum that just lay in wait for him to capture. He was also eager to get enough money to buy proper food, as he was sick of his partner's dango. Kenshin, in contrast, was insistent on taking it easy and enjoying the ambience of Tokyo's sector, and sticking around in case anything might pop-up for them, both of which were in Sanosuke's opinion, a load of bull-crap. Tokyo was one of the most secure sectors in the galaxy and had a near-zero requirement for bounty-hunters, as their Space Police were more than competent enough to do the job.

'We need real food in the ship Kenshin or I'm going to fall sick and die-!'

'We still have some dango to keep us going-' Kenshin reasoned, interrupting Sanosuke mid-speech.

'FUCK YOUR DANGO THAT'S WHAT'S KILLING ME!' Sanosuke snapped angrily and groaned, glaring at his teammate. Kenshin's calm smile dropped, and he frowned, bearing resemblance to a disappointed young mother.

'Language, Sanosuke,' he scolded, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke. 'Now we don't need to get aggressive over a minor conflict of interest-' Sanosuke grabbed him by his shoulders and cut him off, his back hunched over to meet Kenshin's gaze.

'Don't you get it?' He bemoaned, his face carrying a despaired expression. 'If we don't get back on the job, we won't be able to buy real food and I'll die.' He groaned and hung his head. 'Kenshin if I eat one more dango stick I'm going to die, please let's get out of here.' Kenshin sighed, and pat his teammate's head reassuringly.

'Dear dear, don't be sad,' his voice was soothing and patient as he spoke, gently smoothening his partner's spiky hair. 'We still have some ice-cream left too.'

The brunette let out a sound that was half-way between a mangled cat and a crying drunk, before slumping to the ground to wallow despairingly at his partner's stubbornness. Kenshin bit back a snicker and made his way to the sofa to turn on the television. When it continued to show static, he slammed his hand on the decoder and leaned back into his seat. The screen was lit up by a gun firing off with a visually exaggerated bang.

'Holla amigos!' The dark, heavily moustached man on the screen sang out and Kenshin reached for the side stool where a half-eaten dango lay in wait for his consumption. He started to turn up the volume when the busty blonde started to speak.

'...time for Big Shot! The show that tells you all about fugitives!' Sanosuke had made his way to the couch to join Kenshin and shivered slightly at the sight of the too-familiar-for-comfort treat he was consuming. He turned to the screen to avoid looking at it too much before he felt sick again.

'You'll never guess what just got dragged in for the menu today! Tokyo's very own serial killer on the loose, and he's donned the name of Battousai the Manslayer!' Sanosuke turned to his partner in disbelief, but Kenshin just shrugged and motioned to the screen to continue watching. The blonde was speaking now, all excited as always to spill the tea on the hottest criminals cross-country across the galaxy.

'Tokyo hardly gets any villain that makes our menu, but the Space Police need your help 'cause this one's a real big-shot with a whopping 9 million yens, my dear cowboys!' she cooed and winked. The screen gave way for the man's profile, and he bore a slight similarity to the red-haired bounty-hunter. Sanosuke gaped with his eyes wide opened and started glancing between the screen and his partner repeatedly. 'The name he has adopted is stolen from a similar-looking bounty hunter, so the police suspect that his current appearance may just be a disguise! He also claims to use the Kamiya Kashin style, though the current sensei of this family-technique has denied his ever learning from them. She, however, refuses to give a further statement or receive any publicity.' The blonde bopped her nose as she spoke and tipped her cowgirl hat. 'He targets women who aren't into domestic work, his most recent victim being a county sheriff of a residential district-'

Kenshin turned the television off and turned to Sanosuke with a triumphant smile.

'That girl from yesterday thought you were the killer, didn't she?' the taller man asked excitedly, jumping to his feet and pointing at the red-head. 'damn!'

'I suppose you don't want to leave Tokyo anymore, yes, Zanza?' The red-head asked with a knowing brow raised at him, his smile turning smug. Sanosuke gave him a thumbs-up, before reaching for his giant Sabato and hoisting it on his shoulders, a shit-eating grin on his face.

'Let's go catch a serial killer, Battousai.'

...

"Deep breaths. Take in deep breaths and... strike!"

Kaoru lunged forward as she made her vertical strike, and she struck so forcefully that she sent wind blowing through the family shrine's wind chimes and nearly put out the incense-candle flame. She straightened back up and used the sleeves o her training kimono to wipe her sweaty forehead. She had been training all morning in the dojo; the window blinds and doors were shut to block out the light from outside, save the dim candles by the family shrine

"Fortieth round of my fifth set, whew! I need to chill out for a minute."

Feeling accomplished, the girl drank long and hard from her bottle of sugarless soda water and when she was done proceeded to stretch. The one benefit of having her students leaving was the extra time she had for her training. The Kamiya Kashin style had sequences of skill sets slowly scaled up to a hundred and she had been teaching the first thirty to her students for such a while that she feared that she may have dropped from her seventy-five to a mere forty. She used the extra time on her hands to bring herself back up to speed.

Kaoru's love for swordsmanship pushed her forward all her life. When her father passed away she was just sixteen and she had been training to enter the sector finals of a kenjutsu tournament. She was one of the best, and her father had supported her every step of the way.

But when her father passed on, Kaoru was left to fend for herself and make the journey on her own. She had sought out sponsors and practically begged for their aide, but their responses had all been the same:

"We're sorry Kamiya-san. You're very good, but not that good."

"We can't risk it Kamiya-san, you aren't good enough to make it on sponsor alone."

"It's to big a risk to take on someone who might just be second best."

It had been quite an ordeal, and since none of the sponsors seemed to believe in her enough to back her career, Kaoru had to pull out of the tournament. It had broken her then young spirit, but it had also built an unshakable resolve within her.

She would never turn her back on anyone who wanted to learn the way of the sword, and she would always support those who wanted to follow that path of their dreams. Many of her students were already making name for themselves in school competitions, and she was ready to support anyone who wanted to go further. It was the perfect way to honour her father's legacy since her unrealized dreams of winning the finals failed to do so.

Of course, that purpose was being thwarted by the damn serial killer who insisted on dragging her father's name through the mud, and the one chance she could have taken to bring justice on him she had chased off with her foolhardiness. Granted, he was a bounty hunter and thereby not exactly conventional or ideal, but he was a lead and what did she do? She beat him off and out of her life before he could do any good for her. Angry, Kaoru picked up her bokken again and fixated her eyes on the training dummy that was at her far-right. With a yell of frustration, she charged and proceeded to train. Furiously.

After venting out all of the steam and pent up frustration, Kaoru fell and set on her knees from fatigue. She felt her eyes water, and she wiped the tears away before they could fall, squeezing her fists as she tightly held onto her hakama. Crying would not help anything, she knew... but she couldn't help the little trickles that escaped her eyes. She wiped again at them in annoyance and huffed, before rising to her feet and grabbing her bokken again.

But then the candles went out.

Kaoru froze.

Her eyes immediately darted to the window, where the blinds were deathly still, a telltale sign of the lack of wind outside. She bit her lips and took a low crouching stance with her wooden sword. Without light, she couldn't see anything in the room, so she forced her breathing to be very still and focused on the sounds in the dojo.

From the far left, the direction of the shut dojo's shoji door came a quiet, gentle, easily dismissable creaking of the floorboard and immediately Kaoru jumped forward and yanked down the curtains, and simultaneously narrowly dodged a fatal sword slice that would have cut her stomach open. The mysterious blade managed to cut her slippers and it fell off her foot.

Breathing heavily, Kaoru watched as the light revealed her slippers on the floor and her mysterious attacker crouched on the ground, with his sword drawn and head down. He was still facing the right, one knee on the ground and the other far outback in a finishing stance. His hair was red and there was a huge X-shaped scar on his left cheek. But when he turned to his left and saw Kaoru clutching at the curtain for dear life, with the light of the world outside spilling directly on her face as the whole room was illuminated, she saw that his eyes were not the amethyst ones that had haunted her for the last few days, but a dull amber. She narrowed her eyes and spoke.

'So you've finally come for me.' Her voice was hard as steel, her eyes full of anger and dread. Battousai the Manslayer scoffed and slowly rose to his feet, working his neck and shoulders before fully turning to her, his sword ready to strike again.

'So I have.' He smirked and charged forward. Thinking fast, Kaoru grabbed her bokken and held it over her head as she slid under him and through the room, knowing his sword would halve her weapon. On the other side of the room were sets of real swords that had been used through generations of the Kamiya family. Instinctively she reached for the one she modelled her bokken after, her father's tachi. The serial killer tsked as he turned to face her. '"The Kamiya Kashin Style is a sword that protects the people, and does not take the lives of others."' He shook his head as Kaoru's eyes burned at her father's mantra being thrown back in her face. 'You have no business holding a sword that can kill.'

'And you have no business using a technique that doesn't.' she seethed, sheathing the sword with its dull bronze sheathe. Battousai snickered, using his thumb to brush the tip of his nose.

'I had a feeling you would be a tougher challenge, which was why I pegged you as my best for last,' he licked his lips and positioned himself. 'Prepare to die, Kamiya-san.' He lurched forward with a strike for her heart, but she moved to meet him half-way, taking him by surprise as she parried his attack off.

She struck for his knee, but he blocked it and struck for her neck in a sweep which she used the hilt of her sword to block before dropping to trip him in a sweep kick. He didn't budge and immediately thrust his sword downwards and straight for her head, but she rolled out of his way and scrambled to his feet. He charged for her again but she ducked, causing him to slice through the floral paper of the shoji. Immediately she punched him in his gut and he doubled over, stunned for a moment by the attack. Kaoru swung her sword to deliver a blow to his head, but he blocked the attack with his sword and kicked her through the door.

Kaoru was flung over the veranda and across the dojo compound. Then Battousai ran and jumped after her. He landed right in front of the veranda and lifted his predatory gaze to his fallen prey. Kaoru cursed, tasting blood in her mouth. As she struggled to stand up, her attacker charged with his sword to deliver the killing blow. Kaoru, on a knee and foot, hoisted her sword up as a pillar of support and knelt behind it as her last defence.

She waited, and metal struck metal.

...

'Are you sure this is the place?'

'You said Kamiya Kashin Style School, yes?'

Kenshin nodded in the affirmative and Sanosuke nodded back, full of confidence in his tracking skills.

'Then yes, this is the place.'

The two alighted off Sanosuke's dangerous racerXfighter jet - Zanbatou 2.0 - and bounded for the pristinely kept but seemingly empty dojo. They didn't even get into the compound - they were still by the side fence - when they heard the sound of sword fighting. Sanosuke was ready to charge in to intervene, but Kenshin grabbed his shoulder to keep him at bay. The taller man glanced at him in annoyance but waited all the same.

Kenshin listened to the fight closely and immediately deduced two things: one was fighting with a sharp sword, he guessed their target, and the other a sheathed one, he guessed Kamiya-san. She seemed to be doing a good job of defending herself, so he waited. She also seemed the kind to believe in her skills and not appreciate a rescue if she felt she could take care of herself, so he would need her to be overpowered before they'd intervene. He wasn't eager to face her temper again.

'Sanosuke, I'm ready.'

'Alright captain, on my count then.'

Silence followed briefly, and then the both of them spied the girl flying out of the dojo and close the entrance of the compound. They could hear the footsteps of the girl's attacker coming after her.

'Battousai.'

'Zanza?'

'Go.'

The speed at which he moved with his sword was inhumane.

...

Kaoru waited after, but nothing else came, except metal gnashing against metal. She looked up and saw a familiar ginger-haired man staring down at her with a smile, his sword stopping the Manslayer's attack. Her eyes grew wide in surprise, and so did her attacker for he leapt back immediately.

'You-!'

Kenshin turned to face his imposter and shook his head in disappointment.

'I'm offended that you'd use that face to try and fool anybody into believing you are who you say you are.'

'B-B-Ba-Ba-Batt-to-tousai!'

'Precisely my point.' Kenshin advanced towards the stunned imposter now, brandishing his ready-to-attack sword. The Manslayer in a state of panic charged forward to attack, but Kenshin sidestepped the attack and brought his sword up for the enemy's blade to slide against and the killer's face connected with Kenshin's fist, all in one fluid motion. His free arm delivered an elbow strike to the wrist holding the sword, causing it to let go and Kenshin to hold two swords now. He kicked the man in the stomach and away from him, sending him flying into the ground. The red wig fell off, revealing short spiky green hair. Kenshin nodded in satisfaction and dropped the other's sword, sheathing his own and heading back to Kaoru, who was leaning heavily on her father's sword for support. 'Hey there stranger,' his eyes were soft as he crouched before her and gently held her face. 'How bad are you hurt?'

She inhaled deeply and leaned too into his caress for comfort.

'Enough to want to return the damage,' she sighed, frowning when she tasted more blood in her mouth. As one hand firmly gripped his hilt, the other slowly snaked into her side bangs as she leaned further in, when her nearly closed eyes grew wide open in alarm. Immediately she tilted her sword in the soil and raised it towards him. Kenshin moved out of the way before he could process what was happening, only to find the hilt of Kaoru's sword striking the throat of the serial killer, who was going to sneak attack on Kenshin. The bounty hunter, who had precedented the move, was surprised at how quickly she reacted in response. The man, who was frozen in his tracks, had his mouth opened and a mysterious black pill flew out. He then collapsed as he gurgled on his blood. Kaoru winced and looked away, never being one for gory sights, and instead picked up the mysterious pill he spat out. Kenshin wordlessly helped her up, slinging her arm over his neck to support her.

'I guess you returned the damage then,' he mused and she contemplated his comment, before nodding her head and shrugging in agreement. He took a look at the pill in her hand. 'What do you think this is?'

'Suicide pill, most likely,' Kenshin reasoned as he led her back into the dojo. 'Probably one of those fanatics who believed he was on a mission and was gonna chomp down on it as his one-way ticket to paradise after doing you in.' He glanced back at the now unconscious man on the floor. 'Sadly, he won't be going to where he's really meant to go, but man must eat bread.' Kaoru nodded, absently remembering that he was a bounty hunter.

'I think he was going to bite down on it to keep from talking,' she thought out loud. Kenshin shrugged as he helped her sit on the veranda.

'Whatever the case, that's the police's job to find out,' he commented and gave her a one over again. 'Kamiya-san should I take you to see a doctor?'

'I'm fine, I'll go see mine later,' she dismissed the offer, her mind preoccupied in thought. 'And my name is Kaoru.'

'Oh, on a first name basis now,' he bent over and leaned forward to meet her gaze with a teasing smirk. 'Are we?' Kaoru blushed involuntarily and looked away, her face growing hot at how close he was to her. The red-head simply leaned over to her ear and whispered softly, 'Kenshin then.'

'Kenshin.' she repeated quietly in a sigh and quickly held her tongue, mentally gagging at how needy she sounded. He leaned back to see her face again and nodded with a smile. Without another word, he stood up and bid her adieu, before going over to carry the unconscious serial killer to meet justice.

...

'This is good chicken.'

'I'm glad you like it, Sano.'

'Better than those damn lucky charms, that's for sure.'

'So I should throw them away?'

'No damn it, we need one of those things to keep getting us good catches like that guy!' He paused thoughtfully, 'I suppose we could sell the others though.'

The bounty hunting samurai broke out in laughter as they consumed their steaming bowls of rice and chicken miso. Once they were full, they leaned in their chairs in satisfaction. Sanosuke burped loudly and his partner shot him judging glares.

'Aren't you bothered about that fraud Battousai guy? Like why he used your name or something?'

'Not really, no. It's not like I patented it as a brand or anything.'

Silence fell again as the two revelled in their well deserved loafing.

'That Kamiya girl is something by the way,' Sanosuke spoke up. 'A real treat if you ask me.'

'No doubt she is attractive yes,' Kenshin agreed but shrugged. 'I fear she's rather a prude though.'

'But ain't that your type, Battousai?' his partner retorted with a teasing grin and winked. Kenshin simply threw a bone at his forehead and rolled his eyes. Sanosuke threw his hands up defensively. 'Why'd you stone me? I'm right!'

Kenshin just shook his head and stood up to head for bed.

But once his head hit the pillow, his subconscious haunted him with big blue doe eyes.

**FINISHED CHAPTER TWO.**

**I apologize in advance for any late updates, exams are here and I haven't done shit. I'll see y'all soon.**

**I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review. =UwU=**


	3. Of Tanukis and Kitsunes

**It was a nice and easy chapter to write, so I decided to get it out of my system so I could go to study. Who knows when I'll be this free again? Guest and Kaoru Tanuki thank you for your reviews they made me happy! =UwU= And a big thank you to Compucles for your follow! **

**Anyways I hope you enjoy~ And don't forget to review. 3**

He did not know which way was up, or where was down. He flexed his arms in bed before pulling himself to sit up by a miracle only gods could explain. He stretched his neck from side to side, and rolled his shoulders and flexed his back in a fold, before turning to his side. He had awakened because the familiar body heat that had kept him warm throughout the night was absent, and the space left behind it was dreadfully cold.

'You sleep like the dead.' Came a dry voice from the left od the room, by an old-fashioned cupboard. He chuckled and fell back into bed, his wild mane staining the pale yellow and lilac pillowcases beneath his head. The room was surprisingly airy, with the first cracks of dawn bleeding softly through the widow shutters and illuminating the room in dull orange horizontal lines of light.

'Between my job of catching bad guys and you refusing to let me sleep, it's a miracle I get out of bed every day at all.'

'Hmph,' the owner of the voice scoffed and threw a sultry glance over her naked shoulder at him, before pulling on her yukata. 'If I'm keeping you awake, then perhaps I should not stay any longer, ne?'

'As if I would let you leave,' he laughed at himself and threw an arm over his face to cover his eyes from the light. But even as he said it, he knew this was not true, for she left whenever she wanted to leave.

He could never stop her, or catch her or even hold on to her. They both knew this, but then facts that obvious were better left unsaid. He felt the weight of the bed dip beside him, and soon she had straddled him and was all over his body, peppering him with kisses from the back of his ear, down to his naked chest and back up to meet the stubbles of hair underneath his chin. He seized her by the hair and pulled her in for a soul-crushing kiss. It was deep and passionate, and both their eyes were closed. His hands snaked up from her hips, up her waist, and onto her back.

'Kitsune~' It was barely a whisper than a hoarse groan from his throat.

But then she bit down on his lower lip and he broke off so their eyes could meet. Her eyes were soft and coy, and she kissed him again; a, lighter, gentler kiss this time. She sighed against his lips and he closed his eyes. He didn't open them when the weight of her body was replaced by cold, empty air, or when the door quietly creaked opened and quietly creaked closed.

He threw his arm over his eyes again and sighed into the darkness that was fast giving way for light.

...

Kaoru hummed as she made her way through the market square of residential Tokyo. That day's shopping was too light to go to the market district itself; the few things she needed to replace at home were all available at the square.

Life had been good in the past two weeks. Her students had started to come back, following the capture and incarceration of the slandering murderer who claimed her family fighting style as his own. The time she had was no longer completely her own again, and she was actually glad at the return to normal. Few didn't come back at all, and some of those who did were less committed than before.

But Kaoru was not one to be discouraged. She worked with what she had and used the outliers of time for herself to continue her practice. She was close to eighty now, and at the rate would need to pull out the headmaster's power scaling to follow up and chart her progress with. Not even her father had reached eighty of the headmaster's power scale or even her grandfather. And while she did not necessarily have a desire to reach complete the scaling to aspire to, it was nice to have something to work towards to.

Kaoru walked to and fro the market to check off her itinerary of items needed back at home and by the time she was done she was so tired, she felt like her feet would give way any moment. The sun had reached high noon and was mercilessly radiating heat on every umbrella-less pedestrian out and about. Exhausted, Kaoru headed for the nearest coffee shop. She slid into a booth and kept her things beside her, before leaning her head back and letting out a winded sigh.

'Hello and welcome to Milky Way Cafe,' Kaoru's slitted eyes sideglanced her attendant, a young woman about her age, with a bright smile and in a lolita-esque space uniform. 'My name is Fae! May I take your order ma'am?' Kaoru let out another heavy sigh and hoisted her head forward, hanging over her empty table of four. Her braid, over her shoulder, spilt onto the table as a result of her position.

'Forgive my demeanour Fae-chan,' the young sensei apologized groggily. 'I've been out all morning and it's very hot so I'm really exhausted and kind of out of it.'

'Ah~' Fae drawled out and nodded sympathetically in understanding. 'You must be dehydrated. I'm sorry.'

'It's okay,' the ravenette responded through a muffled yawn and gave the bobbed blonde a tired smile. 'Thank you.'

'May I recommend iced tea? Perhaps chai on the rocks or a cold chocolate smoothie?'

'One of everything!' An unfamiliar deep voice declared behind Kaoru. The girl tiredly nodded, agreeing with him as she raised in one finger and shook it in acquiescence.

'Yes, Fae-chan... One of-' she paused and instantly straightened up, all signs of fatigue gone from her eyes. 'What?!'

'Don't worry Kamiya-san,' the stranger spoke again from behind her dismissively, and a hand reached over with a thumbs up for her to see. 'It's on me.'

Fae looked between the stranger and Kaoru repeatedly, trying to understand the situation, before smiling brightly and bowing to them both.

'Understood! An iced tea, chai on the rocks and a cold chocolate smoothie! To go or to wait?'

'To go.'

'To wait.'

The man behind Kaoru chuckled at the fact they spoke at the same time and the woman just let her head hit the table with a dull thud. Fae blinked slowly, unsure of what to do when the man spoke again.

'The smoothie is to go, bring the other two to-wait please.'

'Of course!' she nodded again, penning the orders down and smiling. 'Expect your drinks in seven minutes, ma'am, sir!' With that Kaoru's attendant was gone and immediately the girl turned to glare at the man behind her with narrowed slits.

'You've got some nerve coming back after ghosting on me for so long K-' the sentence died in her throat when she realized she was not face-to-face with a certain ginger-head, but a true stranger. The spiky-haired brunette gave her a sheat eating grin and winked.

'I'm afraid I'm not the man you think I am,' he cocked a brow and leaned closer to her. 'I am much better though.'

Kaoru let out an exasperated groan and rolled her eyes, turning back to her table and slinking into her chair as the stranger made his way to his table. She couldn't help but spy the giant "wicked" tattoo at the back of his ivory-coloured overcoat and she had to stop herself from gasping when she saw that the man was completely topless underneath it.

'Just so we're clear, I will spend all your money and still not enter your bed by the end of the day. So if your plan was charm and persistence I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere.'

'Charmed loved,' he winked at her, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement. 'But my taste in women leans further from Tanukis and more to Kitsunes if you get my drift,' Kaoru gaped at his audacity and immediately shot up, fists on the table menacingly as she glared at him.

'Excuse me-!'

'Feisty too? I see why my partner likes you.'

Kaoru blinked, taken aback by the statement and she faltered in her speech.

'P-partner?' she managed to utter, feeling like a complete dimwit. He smiled smugly and leaned back, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

'Ah~ I believe his name was just at the tip of your tongue just now when we met; Kenshin, yes?' he rubbed the tip of his nose briefly with his thumb, amusement in his eyes as Kaoru grew redder and redder, completely flustered.

'For all you know,' she finally responded, crossing her arms across her chest and tilting her chin up haughtily. 'I might have been about to say Konan.'

'Oh?' the man mused and shrugged, making to leave. 'Alright then my bad, I was hoping to buy Kenshin's damsel a drink or something. I guess I'll just go find her-'

'I'm not his damsel!' She protested before she quickly threw her hands over her mouth to stop her self from digging her own grave.

'But you were about to say Kenshin,' he fell back into his seat, the shit-eating grin on his face again. He stretched out his hand forward for a shake. 'Sanosuke Sagara, Kamiya-san.' She stared at the hand outstretched toward her like it was capable of giving her hives, while her mind was pre-occupied by her mortification at being teased so easily. Slowly she stretched out her hand to return the shake and sat back down with a petulant pout. He smiled warmly at her this time. 'Nice to meet you.'

'Kaoru and I'm... yet to say the same.' The sensei muttered stubbornly, refusing to meet his eyes. Sanosuke only laughed and grinned even wider.

'So you say, for now.' He winked and turned to call on staff for their drinks. Thankfully, Fae was arriving with them just before he could and with a bright smile, she served their orders. Sanosuke paid her with a one-time card debit and looked at Kaoru. 'What would you like.?'

'Iced tea please,' she responded quietly. Sanosuke reached for the chai tea, and Kaoru her own drink. They fell into a comfortable to enjoy their beverages, and Kaoru eyed the smoothie in a bottle curiously.

'Is that for-'

'Kenshin? Yes,' Sanosuke answered her question before she could finish, letting out a low and long burp, then a sigh of satisfaction. She frowned at his table manners, but he stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes. 'Man's got an incurable sweet tooth. This man spent all of our money on dango the last time we came here! Gods I thought I had done my time and was going home!' Sanosuke narrated the ordeal with all the theatrics of a dramatic and Kaoru found herself giggling. Soon they fell deep into conversation, and the two were practically snorting their tea with laughter. They finished their drinks in no time and Sanosuke offered to help carry her stuff home. Not one to reject free labour services, she accepted. The two were just across the street when Fae ran out and started to call for them, but the traffic made her unhearable. They looked back curiously.

'What do you think she wants us for?' Kaoru asked curiously. Sanosuke smirked mischievously, before suspiciously glancing around and then leaning to whisper in her ear.

'The card was already used up.'

'No!'

Sanosuke could only nod as he snickered and Kaoru beat him repeatedly with her palms, which only made him laugh the more.

'You crook! How could you?'

'Careful I'll break your stuff,' Sanosuke laughed doubling over. 'Let's get out of here before they-!'

'No, you stay here!' Kaoru scolded, smacking his head as she dug her purse for money. 'If you move I'll kill you.'

'Yes ma'am!' he mock-saluted, struggling not to laugh. She quickly made her way back to pay and apologize for the inconvenience and soon they were on their way again. Kaoru had refused to speak with him. But he cajoled his way back into her favour by making her laugh. Soon they fell into another comfortable silence before the sensei spoke again.

'Did you ever get anything about that fake Battousai guy?'

'Nah,' he responded with a huff and slacked his shoulders a bit. 'Bounty hunters aren't really into detective work, you know?'

Kaoru nodded quietly and sighed. She couldn't help but feel that the case had been personal, with what the criminal having gone out of his way to defame her dojo and what not. Sanosuke noticed her quiet mood and decided to cheer her up, asking about her family history and the dojo. She happily indulged in the small talk, taking her mind off the worry of the criminal that was already behind bars.

Eventually, they arrived at her home and Kaoru gratefully collected her property from Sanosuke.

'It was nice meeting you Sanosuke-san!'

'Please, it's just Sanosuke.' He corrected with a warm smile and put his hands in his pockets. 'Stay safe Kaoru.' He turned and made his way off, but called over his shoulder before disappearing from her sight. 'Maybe I'll see you again one of the times.'

Kaoru smiled and waved back at him till he disappeared out of view.

'Be safe! Goodbye~'

...

'And where have you been all day?' Kenshin gave his partner a grin not unlike Sanosuke's as he walked in. 'The women of Tokyo don't have a chance against you, do they?' The taller man did not even reply, instead throwing the bottle of chocolate smoothie his way. Kenshin eyed the drink with shameless sugar-fuelled greed. 'Thanks, Sano! We leave in thirty-minutes by the way!'

Sanosuke only groaned his reply, making his way for his room He found his bed and fell face-first into his pillow and groaned again. The memories of the early morning haunted him and dampened his mood.

But then he remembered his afternoon with Kaoru, and he grinned slightly into the pillow.

_"She's alright, the Tanuki."_

Out of his mood as quickly as he got in, he lifted his head enough to yell out loud and make fun of his partner.

'She's a pretty cute Tanuki, by the way, Himura! You sly dog!'

He let his bed fall back into his pillow, chuckling as Kenshin tried to open the door that Sanosuke had been smart enough to lock before he turned off his nightlight and fell asleep.

**I couldn't help being on a roll. This chapter is a filler, but I've planned this story's direction to the T, fillers included. The next chapters are more arc central and I won't have time to write them out as I have done this, as they require more brainpower. Enjoy this one chapter while we wait, and wish me luck in my papers tomorrow.**

**Oh, and please review! Thank you! UwU**


	4. Trespassing!

**Moshi moshi UwU!**

**The feedback made me blush, I am the most thankful you all enjoyed my work. :) Sadly this chapter is more slow-paced than I would like, hopefully, it isn't off-putting. To my reviewers who appreciate my little tidbits on already established characters, thank you. They aren't mine to claim, but they are the little ways I take back the creativity from the original creators and make it my own. I'm very glad - and how did you all know Kitsune-chan was Megumi?**

***tears* **

**For many who wonder where Kenshin's honorific "dono" disappeared to, I intended to have them added on in this chapter as I feel like there was a lot more bonding to allow for the honorific to appear. I'm not Japanese, but to my understanding, dono is high up there on honorifics used as a sign of respect. Now they've made their debut, I'm hoping the irks - if any - that you may have had will reduce. **

**It's a long intro, but now, into the story!**

BaNza.

That was the name of the ship that served as the mobile residence of bounty hunters Battousai and Zanza. Kenshin had been the one to christen the old but reliable model; Sanosuke had thought the name was dumb. The great space ship held the two's fighter-type jets: Kenshin's ReverB Mach 3, and Sanosuke's racing Zanbatou 2.0. BaNza was the mothership they had received as a reward during one of their earlier days in the hunting career. Kenshin was more fond of the mothership than Sanosuke was, but even he found himself thankful for its convenience some times.

Like that moment, for example. He couldn't imagine being so unoccupied and yet being cramped up in a smaller vehicle; at least the mother ship allowed for space to wallow in idleness.

'Himura.' He was repeatedly tossing a ball up in the air as he laid on the couch, trying to see if he could throw high enough to hit the ceiling of the ship. When he saw that his partner did not respond, he tried again. 'Himura~' Kenshin let out a sigh as he turned the page of his paperback novel - an archaic literature medium the redhead had read at least four hundred times in their time together. Sanosuke ignored the pointedness of the expression, even with knowing it meant Kenshin was in no mood for dialogue. 'Kenshin?'

'Sanosuke-san,' the reply was patient and calm, even though he was adding honorifics to his name - the redhead's subconscious indication of discomfort. 'Is there something you would like?'

'I'm bored.'

'So am I, my dear friend,' Kenshin offered him a small smile and held up the book he was reading. 'Hence my need to occupy myself, so if you'll excuse me-'

'Why do you keep reading the same thing? And how do you even have a paperback, those things are bloody rare these days, yeah?' Sanosuke pondered out loud, still focused on getting to hit the ceiling with his toy. 'And we've not been able to get a crook in a while. Why don't you just get an e-book reader to get new literature and pawn that old thing? It'd cost a pretty dime for at a collector's auction or something, then maybe we'd get something to eat.'

'Sanosuke-san,' Kenshin inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, his patience giving no signs of waning. 'That is not a suggestion I can appreciate, so I would prefer you not make one like it again.' He opened his eyes and quirked a testy brow at him. Sanosuke stopped his mindless tossing to raise his both hands defensively.

'Didn't mean to hit a nerve buddy,' the mumbling was loud enough to reach Kenshin, who simply ignored it and returned to his reading. Frustrated, Sanosuke threw the ball with a lot more force and it struck the ceiling hard before falling back into his hand. 'Damn it this is so boring!'

'I agree,' Kenshin's eyes never left his book as he spoke, his lips pursed as he hummed in agreement. 'Dreadfully dull, that it is.' Sanosuke shot the ginger-head a sour look as he rose to his feet and made his way to the fridge.

'Okay I knew things weren't peachy, but how is our fridge empty?' his voice rang with disbelief as he sorted through racks of nothing but bottled water and half a bottles of ketchup from takeout dinner. 'Not even a Dango stick?' He stood back up immediately and leaned out to look at a still reading Kenshin. 'How are you okay with this?! How did this happen?'

'I do not know how this happened, Sanosuke, but I am most definitely not okay with this.' Kenshin turned another page in his novel, somehow still fully engaged in a plot he knew by heart now.

'We need to do something about the way we keep running out of food!'

'I concur.'

Sanosuke groaned out loud and slammed the fridge door shut, before charging over to the piloting section. He leaned over enough to glare at Kenshin, who lowered the book down just enough to meet Sanosuke's smouldering hazels.

'Gee Kenshin,' the brunette spoke wryly, a scowl on his face. 'I do wonder how that happened.' He made a show of stroking his freshly shaved skin before narrowing his eyes at his partner. 'It couldn't have been because we spent so much on dango, almost half of our earnings!' Said partner blinked slowly, before smiling wistfully and stroking his chin in thought as well.

'Of course, you're right, it couldn't be our dango expenses,' Kenshin was completely oblivious to the sarcasm in his partner's words and he nodded in agreement. Sanosuke rolled his eyes and threw his hand up in exasperation, walking back to his couch.

'Why did I even try?' He groaned out loud as he plopped back onto the couch and stretched his leg out, having the heel of his feet strike the decoder to turn the tv on. Idly, the taller bounty hunter surfed through the available channels, before dropping the remote in the space beside him and groaning loudly. 'Where are we anyway?'

'Tohoku Region,' Kenshin replied absently. Sanosuke gave up on the idea of eating anytime soon and yawned, stretching his arms before lying down on the couch and letting out a groan.

Tohoku Region was one of the many Galactical divisions housing several sectors in space. Travelling between regions and even sectors was done via the Astral gates, but the men were in fairly unfamiliar territory. Their business ventures usually spanned between Kanto and Kinki regions. Most likely the autopilot function of the mothership BaNza had cruised through Astral gates to get this far at all. This did not exactly make Sanosuke feel any better.

'We have nothing to do, nothing to eat and you're just seating there reading ancient literature - is that thing even readable or is the language archaic and fun to look at or something?' he asked, half expecting Kenshin to cut back at him. No reply came through and he raised his head to see what the redhead was doing. To his surprise and amusement, Kenshin was looking out the windshield and into the vast and great beyond of black space and luminous burning gas balls. 'Hey man, I wasn't being that serious, don't mope on me now.' Sanosuke let his head fall back against the armrest.

'I'm not moping,' the response surprised Sanosuke, who had given up on the idea of holding an actual conversation with his partner. Kenshin turned to smile at him.

'So what are you doing?' The brunette raised a brow questioning brow when Kenshin's smile turned devious, growing cautious.

'I just thought of a way to alleviate our boredom.'

...

Kaoru hummed as she made her way back to her home from her well-earned afternoon onsen, the faux-Battousai fiasco long behind her. She had plans to practice her cooking that day - a choice that was chosen only because of the food poisoning she had caught at the beginning of the week. Kaoru was an awful-to-God cook, but God knew she was better off consuming her edible condemnables than risking patronizing another hygiene-unbothered restaurant. But she was aware that she would have to seriously improve in cooking if she planned to live long at all. She stretched as she strutted contently; at least she had recovered from the food poisoning - she had just completed the prescription her doctor had given her. And the onsen was just what she had needed to complete her recovery to health.

Hopefully the food she would make later wouldn't set that recovery back a month.

She soon arrived at the Kamiya compound and decided to take the dojo's entrance to visit the family shine on her way in. The compound had a two-way exit as the back of the home and dojo faced each other and consequently the entrances apart. Seeing as she lived alone, the idea of walking through the first door never appealed to her. She often found herself expecting someone to welcome her home and she was always disappointed. Taking the dojo's entry point to her home helped her get used to living alone. She made her way through and slid the shoji open.

'Eat ass Kenshin!'

'I'm afraid those are not fetishes to my tastes.'

Metal struck metal and the two jumped apart to size themselves up again. Sanosuke quickly resumed attacking Kenshin, who took up full defensive against the original Zanbatou. Kenshin moved with speed ascribable to fabled ninjas and spirits, weaving in and out of his partner's attack range with his reverse blade sword.

Kaoru gaped, stunned frozen by the curious predicament and all her grocer shopping fell to the floor in her shock. The noise stopped Sanosuke just short of wielding his Zanbatou and Kenshin dodge - ready stance left him so imbalanced he fell on his butt. Both broke into a sweat as they slowly turned to meet their unprepared host, but it was Sanosuke who feared her wrath less and took the unwitting step of breaking the silence, going over to offer Kaoru a handshake and a sheepish smile.

'Welcome back... Kaoru?'

...

A soft and sweet humming sound left the kitchen of the Kamiya's residence, an accompaniment to the sounds of knives and chopping boards, low burning fire and running tap water that reminded the bounty hunters of life before their past. A life of warm miso nights and bright sunnyside up chocolate mornings. Kenshin had barely gone halfway into chopping up the cabbages, too distracted to finish. He watched as Kaoru continued to make wordless melodies under her breath as she cooked, drawn by how ethereal she seemed to his world: a daily life of chasing wealth, luxury and dango.

'Psst, Kenshin!' the whisper was pressed and urgent. The redhead replied with an absent-minded grunt, his eyes still on an oblivious Kaoru. 'Hey! Psst, Kenshin!' The top of a carrot bounded of his forehead, and Kenshin reluctantly turned his attention to his partner who was meant to skin the sweet potatoes, less than pleased. Sanosuke, sporting huge bandaids all over his face and arms, leaned over the counter to warn his partner, occasionally glancing at the sensei. 'Don't fall for it! She's a rabid one, that tanuki!'

Sanosuke's whispers were not quiet enough, sadly. Kaoru lifted her head from the onions she was slicing to glare at them, her eyes red from the stinging onion vapours. He was short of letting out the most feminine yelp ever and he quickly leaned back to finish skinning the potatoes. Kenshin smiled uneasily under the look and returned to cutting cabbages as well.

Kaoru, after attacking the hunter who approached her in the midst of her trying to temper her rage, threatened to report the two for trespassing on her compound. Sanosuke tried to counter-threaten her with assault charges, but Kenshin had stepped in as the voice reason to plead with Kaoru and offer to make it up to her. Kaoru, suspicious, had demanded they helped her prepare dinner, admitting that she would prefer if she did not eat her bland cooking.

Kenshin had gratefully accepted, promising not to trespass again. Sanosuke had been completely indignant in stating that he had made no such promises. But the both of them had set to work in her retro-esque kitchen, which used very old-fashioned technologies such as timed burners with actual flames, separate oven and microwave and lacked a multipurpose kitchen slicer/blender/grinder/whisker robot.

Satisfied to see her trespassers had focused on their tasks again, she reached for the tomatoes and began to cut them as well, resuming her humming. She sliced her vegetables into small separate piles of tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, ginger and green bell peppers and started to make to gather them together. Before she could though, a hand gently caught her right wrist, and another reached around her for the soy sauce on her left. Kaoru stiffened on realising how close Kenshin was to her, so much so she could tell he was smiling.

'Kaoru-dono~,' he sang mischievously in her ear as he took the sauce. Without moving from his position behind her, he placed the spice in her hand, guiding her to sprinkle the thick dark sauce over the tomatoes. 'If you want flavour in your food, you must learn to use your spices with your vegetables.' He lectured gently and guided her hand to drop the spice. 'Tomatoes are bland by nature you know.' He tilted his head so she could see his cocked brow and coy grin as he guided her hands to combine the garlic and onions. 'And when you want to mix your ingredients, be sure to know what goes well together. Ginger and onions are a terrible pair since ginger takes longer to cook. Bell peppers and tomatoes though are an easy blend, like milk to honey and tanuki to peaches.'

As he spoke he guided her to combine the ingredients according to his dictates. At the tanuki comment, he winked and Kaoru found herself blushing. Kenshin peered over her shoulder to inspect the chopping board and satisfied with his work he let go of her hands and stepped apart from her. She found herself slouching with instant relief - and was that longing? She shook her heads to straighten out her thoughts and turned to meet his expectant facial expression. For the life of her, she couldn't think of one sensible thing to say to him, and she hated it.

'So~' she drawled out as her faculties scrambled for something intelligible to say, 'it's dono now, is it?' She mentally winced at how redundant she sounded and felt, but stilled her exterior into as much calm as she could muster.

Kenshin made a show of bowing respectfully to her as he spoke, wiggling his eyebrows.

'Well as you are now playing host for me and my humble partner, I believe the extent of our acquaintanceship has changed as has the honour due onto you, Kaoru-dono. I assure you it is an expression of my utmost gratitude at your generosity.' He winked as he straightened up and headed back to his cabbage station. He salted the vegetables and spiced it with oregano before meeting Sanosuke's amused expression. The brunette was entertained.

'Where did you earn your culinary degree?' He teased, laughing at his partner.

'I'd rather not say,' Kenshin shrugged casually and started to hum as well. Kaoru, too flustered to put up a show of still being upset with either of them, wordlessly went round the stations to gather up the ingredients and head to the cooking counter. Sanosuke went over to his partner to comment quietly on their recent interaction.

'You've done fried the poor tanuki's brain, Himura,' he muttered to the redhead and shook his head. 'Just bed the girl and be done with it.'

'I'm a man of honour, Sagara-san,' Kenshin raised a brow warning at Sanosuke, who simply shrugged and leaned back, choosing to save his jesting for another time. 'Besides,' a complacent grin crept onto the redhead's face, 'it's always fun to play before the party starts.' The brunette snorted at the comment and pat the shorter man on the shoulder before, deciding to give the two space.

'Kaoru can I go outside to stretch my legs a bit? This place kinda feels too cramped up.'

Both Kenshin and Kaoru looked at the hunter curiously, seeing that the kitchen was large enough to accommodate them just fine, but she shrugged. Sanosuke took that as approval and disappeared through the back door. With the two of them alone, Kenshin decided to close in on the space between them by stepping behind her again. He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, and she found herself shivering from the huskiness of his low tone. She instantly regretted having Sanosuke leave them alone.

'Kaoru-dono?'

'Hm?' she managed to voice out weakly, not trusting herself to speak when she was so squirmish from his body language. His hands held the sides of her arms gently and gave them a long, firm squeeze. Her face grew red, flushed by mortification.

'You forgot to light the burner for your frying oil.'

...

'Did you write the recipe down? Is there more? Can we pack some? Can you make this again?'

Sanosuke had challenged her to a food eating contest, the earlier feud between them easily forgotten. Kaoru made an easy win, declaring her victory with a resounding burp.

'No, yes, yes and no not really.' Kaoru giggled at her defeated opponent in response. They ate in the living room, comfortably seated around their chabudai on tatami mats. It had taken another forty-five minutes to cook, but damn was it a worthwhile wait in Sanosuke's opinion. Kaoru couldn't disagree, half in shock that she had been part of making this delicacy. She gave all the credit to Kenshin though, without whose help she was sure her food would not be unlike edible cardboard. He had given her pretty solid tips and guided her through the cooking process. If only he wasn't so touchy and handsy and close-_y _all the damn time. She turned to bow her head again to Kenshin in gratitude. 'At least I can't without your help, Kenshin. Thanks again.'

'It's no pleasure, Kaoru-dono~.'

And the way he said her name with the bloody honorific - it was damn too intimate and formal at the smame time - how did that even work? The way he said it made her head buzz like a ditzy princessy school girl. She nodded stiffly and turned her attention to her meal. They continued to eat, the ambience of the room made more pleasant with the soft jazz that tempered quietly in the background from one of the more modern devices in the Kamiya residence, the radio. Kenshin hummed along, more than pleased with his decision to come by when the radio suddenly bleared loudly. Sanosuke winced as he made a motion on the volume's touch sensor to turn it down just low it enough to listen to.

'We interrupt this program to give you breaking news straight from the Tokyo Sector Space Police Station!'

'Ssshh! Maybe it's a bounty!' Sanosuke hushed the still humming Kenshin and the complaining ear-raped Kaoru.

'The infamous masquerading Battousai has broken out of detainment. Our sources have discovered that this fraud is, in fact, a member of the Yakuza mob, Hiruma Gohei! The mob is notorious for land dispute conflicts and terrorizing many sectors of the Kanto Division. Gohei is currently facing allegations of serial murders in the Tokyo Sector, the first major activity connected to the gang in the area since they first appeared on the radar! We advise our residents to please remain indoors and stay safe while the authorities work to bring the fiend of society to justice-!'

He turned down the volume as he grinned at his partner. Kenshin returned a less smug look, slightly disappointed that his day with the ravenette came to an end so quickly. The two turned to Kaoru to bow in thanks, eager to be on their way and get on the job. The dark-haired girl was more than disappointed, her expression crestfallen as they bid her farewell. She had enjoyed their company greatly, a nice change from the quietness of solitude she had become accustomed to.

'Well I'm afraid that is our cue to leave, but thank you once again for having us Kaoru-dono.' Kenshin took a hold of her hand and kissed it gently, his eyes peeking to meet hers. Her face tinted a deep red and she reluctantly pulled away, her breath softly hitching her throat. Sanosuke bid her a less intimate goodbye, and they both turned to leave the Kamiya residence.

The girl placed her hands in her lap, instantly realizing how long and dreadfully routine her life would be till one of them decided to come back to the sector on a whim. She would teach and cook and train and clean, rinse and repeat. She heard one of them slide the shoji open, and resolve bubbled into a solid conviction in her quickly.

'Where do you think you're going?' Kaoru took them both by surprise as she rose to her feet, her fists clenched in determination. 'Let's go bounty hunting!'

**Hello! Two exams left this week and then I'm free to update as I please. :) Your reviews have made my exam season, you have no idea. =UwU=**

**I hope to keep updating on time for you all! Cheerio love!`**


	5. A Second Attempt at Murder!

**Hallo hallo! UwU!**

**It's been too long! I hope this content makes up for it tho! Enjoy this piece reader-sama :)**

**Oh! And reviews are always welcome!**

**Compucles-sama, thank you for clarifying on the topic of honorifics, I've taken the liberty to use them in a way that matches bounty-hunter Kenshin well, and hopefully, this cuts it! UwU lemme know what you think, yes?**

'You're insane if you think I'll let you take her with us Kenshin! Read my lips: INSANE!'

'Now now there's no need to call names here,' Kenshin's patient demeanour was a stark contrast to Sanosuke's indignation. 'We can prevent her from interfering with our mis-'

'Kenshin she's in the bloody BaNza!' The taller man through his hand up exasperatedly and let out a groan.

'That's a terrible name by the way,' Kaoru piped up from behind them uselessly.

'You shut up! You don't get to judge Kenshin's poor naming choices!' Sanosuke snapped at her, before turning back to frown at a still gently smiling Kenshin. His nearly closed eyes opened wide to glower briefly at his partner before he turned to give Kaoru an apologetic smile.

'Forgive my mannerless partner's behaviour. We're simply worried for your welfare, Kaoru-dono.' Kaoru humphed defiantly and turned to a now pensive Sanosuke, who was on edge after Kenshin's brief but icy stare. Kenshin raised a brow as he crossed his arms, his patronizing tone giving way for a firmer one. 'But you must understand that you interfering in a bounty-hunting mission is dangerous work. I'm afraid I am with his take on the matter. It's too risky to take you along.'

'Damned if I hear it Kenshin,' Kaoru's stubbornness broke through as she crossed her arms to match his posture. 'I've been having this gut feeling about this creep and his intentions when he impersonated my family's legacy and dishonoured it.' She lifted her chin and pouted. 'My family honour! I'm doing this to protect it, to redeem it.'

'Boohoo you sound like a banished prince.' Sanosuke mocked and rolled his eyes. 'A bratty one at that. You're risking your safety.'

'He's got a fair point, Kaoru-dono,' Kenshin sighed and massaged his nose bridge between his fingers. 'You need a hunter's permit to even come along with us. Not to talk of an actual licence. Do you have a licence?'

Kaoru hung her head, her face flushed red with anger and slight embarrassment.

'You're talking as if I'm a helpless little girl.' She seethed

'You were helpless against that criminal the second time we met.'

She rose to her feet so fast both men took a step back, tentative as she matched their stance with hers.

'I wasn't hel- I'm a master of swordsmanship!' Her voice rose with the heave of her chest, her emotions so much larger than her stature. 'I run a school! Do you think just any damn body can run a damn dojo? You think it's any less than playing cops and robbers across hyperspace because we have a code of honour binding you to morals?'

Silence fell in the main lobby of the mothership, with Sanosuke sweating bullets at the tension Kaoru seemed to be generating all on her own with her menacing stare. Kenshin simply sighed and lowered his head.

'I do not, Kamiya-san,' at his words Kaoru's heart seemed to drop, but even she didn't seem to be actively aware of it. The queasiness was only registered at the back of her mind in the heat of her anger. 'But I'll ask you this: have you ever travelled through hyperspace before?' Kaoru's eyes grew wide and she turned away from them both, her face stinging with the intensity of her indignation. He sighed and placed his hands on his hips decisively. 'My point exactly.' He turned to Sanosuke and raised a brow at him. The latter raised his arms defensively.

'Alright! I should have known you wouldn't let her get involved, my mistake. Lighten up will ya?'

'I did not enjoy this, so no Sanosuke-san, I will not lighten up.' Kenshin started to untie his hakama as he made his way for his room 'If we're chasing a prison-breaker then we need to get clothing that won't get in our way.'

'On it chief!' The two disappeared into their rooms, and Kaoru was left alone on the couch, her fists clenched at her situation. Sanosuke had been against her from the beginning, but when Kenshin hadn't complained and he even let her climb aboard the dusty maroon ship, she thought he was on her side. But even as she thought she felt stupid. She couldn't possibly expect them to have faith in her - when she had lost to the scumbag at all. She shouldn't have expected them to buy into her need to face the crook either, not when she hadn't so much as followed on the case herself. The fact she had this lead was by chance. To them, she was just someone who was trying to get in over her head in the name of adventure.

They wouldn't be wrong though.

But just because she wasn't following up or had never shown any real interest in pursuing the Hiruma fellow, didn't mean she didn't need to. What business did a Yakuza mobster have with her family name that he would use it so easily? Why was she his "best for last" as he claimed weeks ago? It could be nothing - after all the Kamiya family's history was no common one in modern Tokyo, having spanned generations of the bravest samurais, officers of the law and representatives of their residential district in Tokyo's government. If the criminal had been using the name of a bounty hunter who didn't know who he was - as Kenshin had told her when she asked - then it would be easy to stake claim to a fairly popular lineage's legacy to follow some unknown overall killer's logic. And it would have just made her identity as his final victim a crowning of some twisted misogynistic victory. It could mean nothing at all.

Or many things.

Kaoru made a mad dash to the front of Kenshin's room and started to knock but just then the hunter was opening the door to leave. Her breath hitched in her throat. His eyes met hers and slowly landed on her parted lip. He lingered there, the natural pink hue uncannily seductive on her quirky persona. His eyes slowly met hers again, his expression now one of amusement.

Kenshin had ditched the ultra-traditional hakama and kimono for a more contemporary look, in navy blue slacks and a white shirt that covered were the belt cinched it onto his waist. She could see the gold and black diamond-patterned hilt of his sword peeking out from the left side of it. His hand had been working at the button of his dark purple coat, but they made their way to straightening out his lapels on seeing her. His shirt underneath wasn't buttoned up enough to hide his chest and his burgundy neck-tie was undone around his collar. He raised a brow, and Kaoru managed to snatch her voice before it left her again.

'I need to-'

'I'm sorry for interrupting you, but should I tie this or just leave it?'

'Just leave it. Kenshin I have to come with you-'

'We're still on this again, Kamiya-san?' he sighed and Kaoru's stomach sank again. He looked away and ran one hand through his hair. 'It's far too dangerous.'

'I wouldn't risk it if I didn't think it was important, please just hear me out Kenshin.'

'Then I'd advise you to be quick, Sanosuke is bound to be ready soon and we have to get on the trail before its cold.'

Kaoru poured out her thoughts to the hunter, explaining all the pieces of the crime that had her intertwined with it, how it didn't quite add up and how she needed to get to the bottom of everything. Kenshin listened intensively, stroking his chin as she spoke.

'I see, you make a strong case,' he said when she finally finished, nodding thoughtfully. Kaoru nodded to, urging him to see things from her perspective. 'But if there was anything, the police would let you know. After all, it is your name involved.'

'Yes but-'

'If there's a connection as you claim and they're yet to inform you, then it might even be more dangerous for you than we're assuming right now, especially since you were his final target anyway.'

'Exactly! Which is why-'

'-you need to stay here.' Kaoru gaped at the redhead, who only offered her a sympathetic smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder. 'How could we live with ourselves knowing we put you in harm's way if you got hurt? Please understand, Kamiya-san-'

'-don't call me tha-!' she slapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes grew wide, and she shoved passed him to get into his room. She slammed the door behind her. A whistle followed nearly immediately after as Sanosuke left his room.

Sanosuke had equally cleaned up, ditching his white get-up for a black leather jacket with the wicked character inked at the back in pure red and a white t-shirt underneath the unzipped item. He sported a red bandana as a headband with the Sagara character in white ink. The brunette was amused, reaching into the pockets of his carton-coloured chinos.

'Lady troubles, Battousai?' He tsked as he dangled the keys to the hanger room below holding their jets, hoisting Zannbatou on his back with his free hand.

'Shut up Zanza~' Kenshin sang as he snatched for the keys and made his way out the lobby room, his patience having been worn thin by his indulging Kaoru.

...

Kaoru must have called herself stupid at least a thousand times. She laid in Kenshin's futon, undoing all the tidying he had done before he left. The futon took up less space than a normal bed would in the tiny space. His room was predictably traditional, save the lava-lamp radio in the corner of his room.

Imagine, throwing a tantrum about the way he referred to her in the middle of convincing him of her right to seek out truth and justice. As if she couldn't help herself and be so petulant-

But she really hated it when he called her Kamiya-san.

She cursed herself again and curled up in the futon. They had left her alone, with no leads, no clues and no way to follow them. They'd go get clues from the police while she waited and sulked because she didn't have a licence. She sneered as she mocked the ginger's speaking the words back at her. Defeated, she rose to her feet and decided to head back to her district. Let's see whose dojo they'd bring their salivating mouths over to eat, because it certainly wouldn't be Kaoru's - no sir she'd hogtie them with their tongue's and kick them to the nearest Astral Gate station, on her father she would!

BaNza had been parked in the space-travelling parking lot that had been provided for the residential district Kaoru lived in, which was at least a one hour's journey from her home. She had never intended to make it back on her own, but she was in no mood to wait around for the hunters to return. She was so over them at this point. The walk was long, but she barely noticed as her mind plagued her with countless what-if and "Kamiya-sans." She would have even walked passed the compound if it wasn't for its diabolical state. Shock helped her register her fatigue as she ran in.

The shoji doors were sliced open and the surviving papers were riddled with bullet holes. She ran into the dojo to find her family alter desecrated and upturned, with the ashes of the incense scattered over the floor and the portraits of her deceased parents shattered. Many of her training bokkens for her students were broken to pieces and on the wall were the generational blades were supposed to be was a note.

'Don't bother with the note, seeing as you are already here, Kamiya-san.'

Kaoru balled her hands into fists, scanning the dojo for the trespasser. The dojo lights were off and the only source of illumination was the door, which left the corners of the room mostly dark with shadows.

'Hiruma Gohei.' The words were faint, her mind trying to desperately figure out how to arm herself against this man. She thought of calling the bounty hunters, but she remembered that in all this while she never collected their numbers. She mentally cursed herself.

'I'll admit I thought you'd be a while longer, but the look on your face was no small satisfaction either,' the man chuckled as he left the shadows. He was perfectly suited up to the newsboy's cap; the perfect gentleman serial killer. He was completely different from he looked before - he sported darker skin, a low haircut and a long beard, though his beady hazel eyes were the same. He was also built heavier than Kenshin too and Kaoru found herself wondering how the hunter managed to lift someone so much larger than him. Whoever had helped him with his impersonation of Kenshin may have not gotten the imitation right, but he did manage to hide the original man's identity completely. Kaoru noted that he didn't carry a sword this time. She immediately leapt forward and punched him in the face.

Both of them winced at the pain that travelled through the points of contact but Gohei caught her by her wrist and pulled her up so he could meet her face. He dangled her up, her feet barely touching the ground while he briefly checked to make sure his hat was intact. Kaoru gulped when she felt the cold metal end of a pistol's barrel underneath her chin and went completely still. Never in her life had she been held at a gunpoint, much less with the threat of it being fired directly through her mouth and up through her head. He smiled at the change in her demeanour.

'What do you want from me?' she whispered finally, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. He chuckled and brandished the gun in front of her, before cocking it back and opening his mouth to speak. The words never came, only the howling of a grown man experiencing the pain of his balls being brutally assaulted. His hand pulled on the trigger as he let go of her and fired back, and the bullet whistled through the wooden door behind them. Kaoru ears seemed to split into deafness from the sound as she bodied into his chest with her shoulder, sending him into the ground.

The swords were too far away for her to get one before he could stand up, and he was already scrambling for his hat, so Kaoru jumped over him and ran straight through the shoji slider between the dojo and her home. She landed on the compound floor and ran around the home than into it, unwilling to have the place be upturned by the scuffle with her would-be killer.

'Where the hell do you think you're going, Kamiya-san? You've got a date with fucking destiny!' Gohei roared and charged after her immediately. Kaoru hid with her back against the wall of her house, forcing herself to still her breathing. Surely the noise of gunfire would alert her neighbours and have them call the police, she just had to stall and bid her time... she heard Gohei coming her way as he called for her, and braced herself to face him. She could hold her own, she didn't need to win, just to hold out... 'You troublesome little wench, you...'

Kaoru dashed out and went in straight for another punch to his jaw, diving low to keep out of the bullet's line of fire. She didn't land one, because he caught her wrist again and pulled her to him. But she instead just braced herself to deliver a powerful headbutt once she was completely yanked in. The giant of a man staggered back before giving her a wicked glare. Furious, he forwent aiming at her for tackling he head-on. He threw a left hook at her which she dodged, only for her gut to meet his rock-hard fist. Kaoru coughed out blood and instantly collapsed on the floor. She rolled away from him and struggled to rise to her feet, but he kicked her in the same place again and sent her flying into the fence of the compound.

'Shit...' she hissed when more blood left her mouth and stained the ground. She looked up to find herself staring down the barrels of Gohei's pistol. He winked at her and tipped his hat in mock respect.

'You ma'am have given me a lot more trouble than its worth,' he unlocked the safety and fixed his finger on the trigger. Kaoru wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gave him a bloody grin.

'Tis always a pleasure,' she spat on the ground between them and Gohei twitched what little of his patience wearing off for irritation. 'I have one question though.'

'What the hell do you want?' he groaned out loud.

'Why use my family name to lie?'

Gohei did a double-take on her, and then let out a heavy sigh as he palmed his face down to through his beard.

'I'd prefer you to ask your old man when you see him in - fuck you, you little bitch!' Kaoru had taken a hold of his wrist and twisted it as hard he could, cutting him off mid-sentence. He let go of the pistol, which fired off as soon as it hit the ground. Gohei yanked her by the hair and threw her into the ground, before getting on top of her and strangling her. 'You're harder to kill than a bloody roach!'

'Kaoru!'

Gohei paused and glared at the bloody-mouthed girl beneath him, before immediately reaching for the gun and holding her against him with the gun to her head. He faced the direction of the speaker, Sanosuke, and yelled.

'Make a move and I'll kill the girl right here!'

'You were well on your way to killing her already.' Sanosuke pointed out, but he held his giant horse-cleaver away from him anyway. 'Should I drop the sword?'

'I don't know, should I shoot the wench?' Gohei sneered at the bounty-hunter, who rolled his eyes and threw his weapon aside. He then smirked, to the killer's annoyance. 'The hell are you laughing at, you damn thug?'

'Ah well, hypocrisy at it's finest.'

'Kenshin!' Kaoru sounded relieved but the scowling Gohei clamped his hand over her mouth, wheeling around to glare at the redhead. The hunter's eyes widened on seeing her physical condition and as they narrowed back to slits, they shifted to a deadly gold.

'Battousai,' he seethed, brandishing the gun against Kaoru's temple. She shivered, whether from the cold metal or from her fear of Kenshin's current aura she wasn't sure which. 'The hell is your case with this broad, is she your woman or something?'

'Just a good friend of mine, and one I'll be willing to spill your blood for, of that I'm certain.'

'You're bluffing!' Gohei yelled frantically, ignoring the chills that travelled up his spines at the coldness of his voice. 'You gave up killing ages ago!'

Kenshin only cocked a brow and unsheathed his sword halfway.

'Try me, Hiruma Gohei.'

They locked eyes in a cold gaze, but while Kenshin was perfectly calm, Gohei was sweating bullets. He changed the direction of his aim and pointed the gun at Kenshin. His hand was shaking as he started to yell at the hunter.

'Then I'll take care of you first!' With that, the bullet went off. Kaoru's eyes widened in horror and instinctively bit down on the thumb of Gohei's right hand. The man yowled in pain and let go of the Kenshin-screaming Kaoru. But Kenshin moved in the blink of the bullet, his sword unsheathed and effectively slicing through the projectile as he made his way for the criminal. He slashed at the thigh and then flipped the blade over to send the man flying straight into Sanosuke's waiting fist. Kenshin nodded

'Zanza I trust you to handle that man.'

Sanosuke nodded at his partner, before glaring at the cowering man in his deadlock grip. 'I've got you Battousai; go check on the girl.'

Immediately Kenshin was kneeling by Kaoru's side and he cradled her head in his lap. She looked at him and squinted.

'Don't look at me like I'm dying, Himura,' she scolded, before drawing a raspy breath. 'It's just a few ribs at most, and a few of my student have managed to deal similar damage on occasion.'

'Stop talking, Kaoru-dono,' he whispered gently. Koaru's eyes softened when she heard him call her name and she smiled, before laughing and then choking at the idea of how horrific she must've looked. 'I should have known he would come after you to finish what he started, I should have let you come with us. I-'

'Hush,' she scolded again and winced. 'You'll bore me to death with your guilt.'

He managed a broken laugh and offered her a crooked smirk.

'Spunk even at the brink of death, what I like in a woman~'

'I'm not dying...' she raised a hand to hit his chest, and then cursed out loud. 'There's a bullet...' Kenshin's eyes instantly widened at the memory of his decimating Gohei's shooting attempt, and then checked Kaoru's sides - sure enough, the perfect half of a .22 bullet was lodged in her side.

'You're bleeding.'

'So I am...' the girl murmured and burrowed her head in his lap. 'I'm tired...'

'Hold on, Kaoru-dono.'

She wanted to say something, but then her consciousness disconnected her brain from her mouth, before shutting off altogether.

...

'If you burn the kitchen you might bring her into consciousness long enough to kill you.'

'I'll take my chances.'

'You're worried about her? That's cute Sano.'

'Says the man who's losing sleep over the tanuki.'

'Hush now, bring that tea.'

'You all talk too loud.'

There was a scream from both men as they leapt back from a sleepy Kaoru, who opened one sapphire eye slowly.

'What kind of tea did you make?'

'Chai and vanilla.'

'Hmm.' It was the only sound she made for a while before she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Her blanket fell off her upper-buddy, exposing her bound-up chest to the two hunters. They both turned pink, and Sanosuke awkwardly handed the tea to his partner before excusing himself. Kaoru winced, and Kenshin quickly set the tea aside to help her sit up comfortably. It was then she realised how exposed she was, and she tinged the faintest of pinks. 'Uhm...'

'Hush, I've seen less decent in my lifetime,' he said dismissively propping her back up against her bed rest. She looked away from him at this, suddenly uncomfortable. In turn he eyed her room, not for the first time and nodded approvingly as he offered her tea. 'Your parents did well for you, leaving you with something tangible at least.'

'They did,' she agreed quietly and sipped the tea. She scrunched her nose. 'There's no honey.' Kenshin laughed at her facial expression and bopped her nose.

'Sanosuke likes to make tea as black as his heart.'

'Well, his heart tastes awful then.'

Kenshin laughed again and Kaoru joined him before wincing and doubling over in pain. He took the awful tea and set it aside before helping her lay lower in bed. Their eyes locked as he moved back up and he paused to hold her gaze. She lowered her lashes and averted her eyes and he smiled coyly, going to seat by her side on the bed.

'I didn't realize how badly you liked me using dono attached to your name,' he lifted her chin up with his fingers and raised a brow. 'Its suspicious, is this a hidden femme dom kink I'm unaware of?'

Kaoru blushed and rolled her eyes.

'Get out of my room Kenshin.'

'Your wish is my command, Kaoru-dono~' he bowed as he stood up to take his leave. He winked at her on his way out and left her grinning like an idiot at being referred to with dono again.

**I hope you all liked this chapter UwU**

**Skenshingumi, I'm happy you enjoyed this story despite its unconventionalities! I won't disappoint you yet!**

**Please let me know with your reviews, much love!**


	6. Stalked

**Hello again! It's been a while, but I came through with an update for you!**

**I really hope you enjoy it amid all this insanity.**

**UODATE: REVIEWED AND REPOSTED. This chapter was lacklustre for obvious reasons, but I decided to post it anyway so it would motivate me to come back and brush it up properly. Polishing all done now, enjoy!**

**Happy reading darling.**

_Level 85! Yes! Yes – Ow~_

Kaoru's excited hands quickly returned to her sides, her sore torso aching from her training. At the behest of her bounty hunter friends, she had notified all her students that she was recovering from a run-in with the district's serial killer and would be unable to continue teaching for a while. It had been all over the news and her students were very understanding of her current situation. Many had wished her well, telling her to take as long as she needed but Kaoru was hardly impressed. She was a strict sensei and was well aware that many of her clients were just happy to see her go for a while. Their slacking off in training did mean more time for her own practice, so she wasn't too bothered by it.

She was far from fully recovered, but she figured that advancing her training levels during her convalescent period would do wonders for her endurance in the long run. Reaching eighty-five while still wearing bandages made her ecstatic and full of pride. She checked her torso and sighed in relief at the sight of her bloodless bindings – her recovery was near-total, which meant that she could afford to train instead of rest until her body fully healed.

She set down her bokken and began her stretches, turning this way and that, flexing her back and rolling her joints. After the warm-up, she kicked off her training hakama to free her tight clad limbs. She got her on her hands and her larger than life t-shirt fell low enough to reveal her sport bindings underneath as she painstakingly attempted to achieve a body-bridge stretch. She hissed loudly at the ache accompanying her efforts and chewed her lip to keep from crying out. If she could just get one done she would end training for the day, she promised herself fervently.

The passing of a shadow from the door's bottom – of which she had a perfect view – caught her attention, and her eyes followed its movement to the window. The thought of being watched made her face heat up and when she heard the shuffling of feet by the door, she tried completed her bridge stretch to get on her feet and give the peeper the beating of a lifetime.

She collapsed on the floor and yelled in pain instead.

'Kaoru!' the shuffling turned to hurried steps and the shoji door slid open was slid open by Kenshin. He rushed to her side and with one look at her tangled heap of flesh and bones recognised what she had been trying to do. He let out a resigned sigh. 'You know you shouldn't be straining your body so hard while you're still re–'

'PEEPER!' before he could finish reprimanding her, Kaoru's fist met Kenshin's chin in a clean punch. The redhead saw stars circle his head and he shook it before staring at her in disbelief. She only scowled at him defiantly, despite hr face growing red from being flustered. 'That will teach you not to spy on me!'

He gaped and sputtered his defence against her accusation

'I only just got back from making ramen f–'

'Don't lie to me Himura! I saw your shadow by the door,' she protested, pointing out the places where she saw shadows. 'And by the window! I heard shuffling too!'

Kenshin rubbed his throbbing jaw as he pondered of over her words, then hung his head with a sigh.

'The shuffling was me coming to get you for lunch, Kaoru-dono.'

'But –'

'I was coming from this direction,' he pointed at the other window at the other side of the shoji door, where no shadows plagued, 'with the intention of knocking, when I heard you shout and got worried.'

'Oh.'

'Yes.' He raised a brow as embarrassment suddenly tinged her cheeks, and he worked his sore jaw again before smirking at her. 'I'll get you for that, Kaoru-dono.' He teased and leaned in closer to her face, before standing to her feet and helping her up. 'Shall I carry you?'

'I can manage – ah!' her polite rejection was never completed, Kenshin promptly declining it as he hoisted her in his arms. She scowled at him again. 'This is you getting back at me, isn't it?'

'You wish,' he scoffed and winked at her, walking out through the door before sliding it shut with his feet. 'I won't let you off that easy.'

'I can take your worst.' Kaoru said dismissively, rolling her eyes and waving him off. He grinned and lowered his face so she could see meet his smouldering gaze. They seemed to shift from to the same tumultuous shade of gold they were during his last encounter with Kaoru's assailant, his smile turning into a predatory smirk. His voice dropped a couple of tones low as he spoke.

'I wouldn't bet on that, Kaoru-dono.' The tone of his voice had her cheeks tinge a darker red. She turned her wide-eyed gaze away to stare out ahead of them. His sudden intensity had her completely flustered and she fought to keep her face from turning into a tomato.

The bounty hunter caught himself and silently swallowed, turning eyes from her before they betrayed them both and ravaged her form. Her outfit didn't help either, with what him fighting to do the death the urge to stare at her perfectly toned legs. Kaoru snuck a look at him when he cleared his throat. He was staring straight ahead as they made their way to the household.

'So you do believe someone is watching you, yes?' His voice was deliberately even to hide

'Well you weren't actually peeping so I may have been mistaken –'

'Possibly, but I doubt those shadows were hallucinations, and I'm done taking chances with you while the agenda of Hiruma Gohei and his allies is yet to be discovered and stopped.'

'Oh,' Kaoru nodded in understanding as they approached the backyard door to the kitchen. 'But you and Sanosuke are already here, yes?'

'For as long as required, yes.'

Kaoru smiled softly and leaned into him, her eyes closed as she took in the scent of his magenta sweatshirt atop his grey joggers.

'There isn't much to fear then.' She said with a quiet, peppy confidence, getting comfortable against him. 'I trust you both.'

Against his better judgment, he stared at her again. She looked peaceful and young, and he felt his chest thundering beneath her raven head.

'Trust can be a tricky thing.'

_…_

Kaoru sat alone in the park till the domed sky started to show it first streaks of the twilight hour, playing idly with the seams of her pink and blue parasol.

The tension during her late lunch with the hunters was palpable, one she was adamant was Kenshin's fault. Conversations were enjoyable enough when it was a three-way one, with Kaoru and Sanosuke happily bantering away as they ate and Kenshin content to drop the occasional commentary from time to time. But when the redhead turned his attention to her, he seemed to lock his eyes onto hers in the most soul searching gaze.

Nothing they talked about felt platonic; not the talk about the calm after-rain weather for two, or of the heat that made people want to strip to bare underwear. Even discussing the durability of the dojo's wooden flooring against intensive activities couldn't come off as innocent in her book. She practically bolted at the first chance after the meal, under the guise of going for an evening run as a safe alternative for reconditioning her endurance levels.

Away from the source of her unease, Kaoru's mental gears had started working properly again and soon she fell into the rhythm of her feet hitting the cool but dry concrete. She had enjoyed the fresh air and the wind in her face, so much so that she was almost reluctant to have the exercise come to an end. It was her bandaged sides that eventually begged for mercy and had her stop to rest at the park and watch the day rest.

'Good evening Kamiya-chan.'

Kaoru looked away from the dark blue and lavender sky to see the man before her. Despite his being old and a bit stooped in his stature, it was easy to tell that he had been a tall man in his prime. She smiled as she recognised him as the grocery shop keeper's grand-father. He was her unexpected company, a sweet old man who liked Kaoru for her sense of humour and her pre-disposition to nearly ancient tradition. He had often praised her for her work in preserving swordsmanship in the era of new technology.

'Good evening Ojii-san,' she stood up and gave a polite bow, before stepping aside to make some room for him on the bench. 'Please join me.' He only laughed heartily and shook his head, declining the invitation.

'I've watched enough sunsets to last me a lifetime, Kamiya-chan. But I thank you for the courtesy.' His nearly shut eyes crinkled at the corners as he beamed and he looked up at the sky. 'Ah well, it has already passed – night has come.' He eyed her outfit and raised a judging brow at her. 'And I'll bet you the reason you wear these things instead of your kimono is that you have plans tonight, neh?' he wore a knowing smirk and shook his head. 'I suppose even you can't resist the lure of pleasures – you are young after all.'

Kaoru's face turned bright red face and she covered her mouth to stifle her nervous giggles as she shook her head.

'Ojii-san! Oh no, you have it all wrong! I swear I only came out for a run! I'm training to be a stronger sensei honest!' Her words were rushed in a scatter-brained attempt to correct what she was sure was his perception of her. To her surprise, the old man simply laughed at her and pat her on the shoulder.

'You're alright in my book Kamiya-chan don't you worry.' He gave her a sweet, teasing smile as he pulled away. 'I know your father raised an honourable successor. He must be so proud of having such a strong child.'

The compliment made the young woman's her eyes water and her cheeks blush, so she simply bowed in gratitude to hide her face.

'I appreciate that ojii-san.'

He nodded and rubbed her head affectionately before he turned to go about his way.

'It's only the truth dearie. Now this old man will be off now. Now you stay safe, okay? My granddaughter wants to see more of you around the stand!'

'I will! Thank you very much!'

She stood up and waved the old man off until he was out of sight, then stretched her arms and scanned the area. The street lights were already on despite the sky not being pitch dark yet and a few people were still hanging out and about around, but not much. It was common knowledge that about an hour and a half passed before the calibre of people in the district fully transitioned from respectable to questionable. Tokyo was relatively one of the safest there was, but the little trouble that existed was best left unstirred – it also didn't help about the serial killer that had recently stained the image of the near-zero crime-rate the sector boasted of.

She reached for her parasol and began to make her way back to the compound, but like the rest of her life lately, something had to be different on her way back. The streets had gotten far too lonely for that early in the evening, and she felt the lurking of a stalker ominously tracking her from just outside her periphery. She was extra sharp on sight and ears alert as she picked up her pace and moved more briskly, bracing herself for anything that was to happen. She reached for her pocket to check for her wallet and sure enough, it was there, like an invitation to bait for the person bold enough to attempt pick-pocketing her.

Most miscreants knew to leave the young headmaster of the Kamiya dojo alone, so her would-be assailant was most likely a novice or a stranger to those parts. The footsteps he made were mouse-like quiet and almost impressive really – but the novice needed to be taught a lesson either way, and Kaoru never backed down from playing sensei.

She took two steps to away from the edge of the road, just in time to avoid the smallish figure that lurched straight for her hip. The hooded person turned and jumped at her again, but she easily raised her arm to block his two kicks and grabbed him by the ankle before throwing him to the ground. Kaoru had trouble guessing whether her assailant was a dwarf or a child, but she didn't hold back when the person unsheathed a dagger and brandished it at her. He charged forward, but her parasol served as a makeshift sword and she used it to disarm and floor him. On closer inspection, he appeared very much a child, too big and well proportioned for a dwarf. Serial killers were way in over her head – street kids though, she could handle. She used her parasol to block him when he leapt to his feet to hit her, tripping him and having him back against the floor again. The end of the parasol was dangerously close to his underdeveloped adam's apple.

'Alright punk you listen here,' she snarled, shoving the thing slowly against his skin. The boy wore a mask, but she still saw his half-scared half determined eyes glaring at her. She hesitated a bit at knowing he wasn't more than eleven or ten, a hesitation the boy immediately sensed and took advantage of. He shoved the parasol away from him enough to slide from underneath and bolt to his feet.

'The Hiruma brothers give their warmest regards, Kamiya Kaoru of the Kamiya Kashin Style!' with that the hooded masked boy took off disappeared into the night.

…

'So... You're being watched by the Hiruma brothers, one of which tried to kill you. Twice.'

'I figured that much genius. Try another one.'

'You definitely can't move around alone anymore. Not till we get to the bottom of this at least.'

Kaoru glared at the calm and relaxed redhead, her temple pulsing with frustration at his response and general demeanour. He handed her the evening dose of her medications, which she immediately gulped down befoe continuing to glare at him.

'Thanks for stating the obvious.' The snark in her tone amused him and he chuckled.

'Hey, you named me captain,' he shrugged and winked at her. Kaoru threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to an equally relaxed Sanosuke. He opened one lazy eye at her, using the straw in his mouth to pick at his teeth.

'You'll be fine Kaoru. It was just a kid they sent after you, after all. We figured that you'd be under some form of surveillance anyways. We spoke to the space cop in the district office like we said we would – those punks have a crush on you.'

'WHAT?'

'He meant they have a grudge against you,' Kenshin shot his partner an annoyed glare before shooting their female companion an apologetic grin. 'We're not sure why yet though, but that is also part of the reason we opted to stay here whilst you recover.'

'But I don't know these men…' Kaoru's voice trailed off, she suddenly looking and sounding as vulnerable as she felt. Kenshin noticed her tough layers giving way just enough to expose a glimpse of how agitated she was and sighed. He went over to sit by her and gently squeezed her shoulders for comfort.

'It might not be you per se.' He reasoned with a shrug. 'Might be someone connected to you.'

'You mean my father?' she looked up at him and he nodded gently. 'I suppose he had enemies back in his day – but yakuza, Kenshin–'

'I'm sorry Kaoru-dono; I said I wouldn't take any chances with you, yet here we are.' He could have been cooing her as though she was a little girl afraid of thunder. 'We will help you get to the bottom of this. After all, that is why we are still here,' she processed his words of reasoning and slowly nodded her head. The side effects of her medications had kicked in, rendering her fatigued and drowsy but the show of assurance seemed to do wonders for her as she instantly relaxed against him, one hand rubbing her eye and the other stifling a yawn. He looked at her again, his hands still on her shoulder.

'Are you tired, Kaoru-dono?' she nodded tiredly and yawned again. He smiled at how juvenile she seemed in that moment and slung her arm around his neck to give her support. 'Let's go put you to bed then.'

Sanosuke watched them go through his barely-opened eyed and groaned.

'Oh, sure. Forget me and go try to wiggle into those panties.' He scoffed as he settled back and closed his eyes once more. 'Don't bet on getting some tonight, samurai.'

...

**Salty Sanosuke is best Sanosuke.**

**Covid-19 is just a disaster.**

**I'm sorry about the late update and how short it was, I'll try to make it up to you. :) ****I even have a little surprise in the next chapter for you! Can anyone call it?**

**Happy quarantine kids! =UwU=**


	7. Got You, Kitty-Kun!

**NOTE: GO READ THE LAST CHAPTER AGAIN IF YOU HAVEN'T BEFORE I MADE IMPORTANTl CHANGES IN THERE JUST NOW!**

**Hello again!**

**I'm so glad the imagery of Cowboy Bebop's setting can be merged into this story, I felt like I wasn't doing enough.**

**I hope we're all pulling through during this isolation period. It really do be starting to be a downer, no?**

**Well, enjoy this piece and take your mind off things for a minute. **

**Happy reading! UwU**

'This idea of you following me everywhere is really starting to get old. I can do this by myself you know!'

'And risk the horrors of grocery shopping befall on you? Never!'

Kaoru sneered at her escort and shoved a bag of fruit into his arms. Kenshin staggered back, startled by the sudden impact. She gave him a sweet smile and winked.

'Alright, dear protector of mine. Defend me from the piercing blades of the pineapple top while I go hunting for blood-sucking eggplants!'

Kenshin sighed and gave her an easy but wary smile.

'Very funny Kaoru-dono~'

She gave him an annoyed look and stuck her tongue at him, before heading on her way through the market district. Kenshin closely followed behind her, humming to himself and enjoying the sights and scents of the market.

It had been an awful while since he and Sanosuke settled in any sector for more than a week, talk less of enjoying the luxury of visiting more than a bar, pub, club motel or the police station. In the over two weeks they had spent in Tokyo they had been to cafes, pharmacists, markets and restaurants. Sanosuke had even told him of an onsen place they should check out before they left.

Kenshin's insides squirmed at the reality of leaving, and the reason was right in front of him haggling prices for duckling meat. Kaoru was the reason he could come to appreciate some of the finer things in life a little more, and it was more than a shame that he eventually had to leave her. He smiled as she played every trick in the haggling book to bring the prices down - from seduction to near-threats - and she smiled smugly when the shopkeeper relented and gave her the small carton of meat. She blushed when some lamb chops were thrown in on the house before shyly blowing him a kiss and hurrying away. Kenshin bit his tongue to keep from laughing and hurried after her.

'You're a strange kind of flirt, Kaoru-dono,' he teased with a mischievous look in his eye. 'You wink like a lover and run like a maiden. The perfect little tease.'

She spun on her heels to glare at him, her eyes narrowed to slits. She would have been threatening, but the dusted pink on her cheeks made that impossible. His smug grin gave way for an easy smile at just how adorable she looked and leaned down enough to look her in the eye.

'I am not a tease! You take that back!'

'No,' he retorted cheekily and stood upright again. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off leaning over the vegetable display of the stall they were in front of. 'What was it you said again about blood-sucking egg-plants?' He called out curiously, closely examining the purple vegetables put out on the sale.

'Well look at that~' cooed the shop keeper, a young woman with hair streaked blonde and blue. 'Are you interested in buying my vegetables. handsome?'

'Yes please,' Kenshin bowed politely, before turning to a still fussing Kaoru. 'How many would you like to buy?' She gave him a grudging look and looked away with a small pout.

'A dozen,' she mumbled quietly then bowed politely to the shop keeper. 'Anima-chan, good afternoon.'

'Kamiya-san!' The shop keeper fussed excitedly and bowed on realising who Kenshin's company was. She gave them both a huge smile. 'Ojii-chan said he saw you a while back, how are you?'

'I'm good, thank you,' Kaoru managed a small smile. 'Can you add some spring onions and potatoes to that? Thank you, and my best to ojii-san, yes?'

'Always!' the colourful haired young woman made busy to pack a generous helping of twelve huge eggplants. She pouted playfully as she handed the bag to Kenshin. 'I was gonna charge you extra handsome, but you're lucky you're with Kamiya-san.'

'You here that, Kenshin? Lucky. Luckyy~' Kaoru drawled out smugly, sneering at him. Kenshin gave the blonde a helpless smile, and the woman giggled.

'I suppose I am Kamiya-san. Wouldn't you agree, Anima-chan?' he declared melodramatically before winking at the said shop keeper. Kaoru's heart missed half a second at the way Kenshin referred to her before she rolled her eyes.

'Thank you, Anima-chan,' she gave a quick bow and sweet smile as she paid for the vegetables, before casually dumping her box of duckling meat on Kenshin. 'We move.' Without sparing him another glance she spun on her heels and went off again. Kenshin winced and smiled at Anima one last time before running after her.

Kaoru opted to ignore him for the remainder of their rounds through the market. Kenshin knew better than to push her too far and so chose to silently endure the silent treatment and manual labour of being her shopping carrier in good faith. They went around for a good one hour before they were done and after prosed pleading from a seemingly worn samurai, Kaoru ordered a delivery cab to take her shopping home. The hovering scooter disc met them at the park where they sat in record time, and soon the AI cab had relieved Kenshin of all the goods.

Silence settled on the bench where they sat before Kenshin sighed.

'I'm sorry for not calling you Kamiya-san.'

'Did I tell you I was mad about that?' Kaoru said dryly, crossing her arms in front of her. Kenshin gulped silently, before trying again.

'Okay... I'm sorry for calling her Anima-chan?'

'Why are you sorry about that? Did I tell you that mattered to me?'

Kenshin, dejected, hung his head and let out a heavy sigh, while Kaoru hung her head back over the bench's backrest and let out a quiet whistle.

'Hey, are you hungry?' The redhead looked at her in surprise. She was staring at him with a calm and neutral expression, a brow raised in waiting for his answer. Worried about angering her with something he said, he nodded and smiled. Alright...' She pursed her lips and shrugged. 'Okay. Let's go back into the market, I saw some really nice snacks on sale.'

Soon the two were in the market, and while Kaoru browsed the sweet-flavoured aisle of the snack lined street, Kenshin lingered on the savoury aisle opposite, watching her focused on inspecting the foods. She was stern with getting what she wanted yet sweet and polite in making requests. Kenshin didn't know when a smile crawled onto his face from staring. Leaving the sector eventually was inevitable, but he would surely miss the feisty but sweet sensei most of all.

He almost didn't notice the skulking boy far down this own aisle diligently watching her as well. Kenshin narrowed his eyes. So the boy eventually got lured out by the seemingly apparent tension between them. He had been following them all day but was good enough to not let himself be obvious. The squabble had let him lower his guard down. He clearly wasn't expecting Kenshin to still be vigilant after the silent treatment he had received all day. Kenshin busied himself with the task of shopping for a savoury snack, letting everything else play out from there.

Kaoru sighed as she stuffed a mochi into her mouth and inspected a pack of picky. She frowned when she noticed one of them had expired and pointed it out to the shop-keeper, asking for another set to observe. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed when Kenshin had stopped observing her, before taking her purse out to pay for all the snacks she had bought. The next events all happened so quickly.

As Kaoru busied through her bag for the nearly exact amount to pay the vendor, the skulking boy dashed for her like a phantom, quickly slipping from corner to shadow like a ghost. As she brought out just the amount the boy was already reaching for her hand. Kaoru hadn't even hesitated, apparently oblivious that she was about to be robbed blind in a second. But the thieving hand never made it for her purse - or was it the money in her hand - before a firm and steady grip on the wrist stopped the stalker in his tracks.

Kaoru smiled as the shop-keeper collected her payment and handed her the change, never once turning to see what had just transpired right beside her. She quickly checked her receipt and coin change in her hand, before neatly placing it in her purse and bringing out a Pocky stick from the paper bag. She opened one and shoved a mint coloured piece in her mouth, before smiling and turning to her right to offer the young boy a red piece.

'Would you like some, Myojin-kun?'

...

Yahiko Myojin liked to think he had never known fright in his entire life.

He had had it rough from a really young age, and his hide quickly hardened against the horrors of the world so that he could survive in it.

But fear seized his heart at that moment when he looked into the amethyst eyes that seemed to shimmer to gold under the sun. They belonged to the only man who had ever caught him red-handed in his entire career as a street kid. He swallowed hard and looked away to see that the young woman he had been following seemed unbothered by it all. She carried on with her transaction to purchase snacks as if she hadn't been about to be robbed blind. As if her would-be robber hadn't been stopped dead in her tracks by the man she had been with all day.

She soon turned her attention to him though, offering him a Pocky stick with the warmest smile ever, as if he had been one of the younger, more miserable street kids who could only beg - they being too young to do grunt work. Even her rescuer was surprised by her response, his grip slackening ever so slightly on his wrist. It was all too much for the boy's heart. So Yahiko did what any street kind with half a brain would've done.

He bolted.

He heard the red-head curse as he pulled his way out of the slackened hold before he could be held again. Yahiko was running blind, desperate to get away from them all and equally dreading how he would report back to the gang at the hideout. He glanced back briefly; much to his dismay the two were hightailing after him, slowed down only by the fear of upsetting people's activities. Yahiko seized that opportunity and weaved through a busy street where hawker, shopping carriers and labourers busied about with tons of goods. He was careful to not upset the goods either, as a fellow respecter of the hustle, but the people chasing him were no match for the streets. The girl wouldn't be able to make her way through and even if the redhead had a history with the streets, his size rendered it impossible to manoeuvre about as efficiently as Yahiko could. He glanced back again after weaving through an endless path of moving brown boxes and relief folded him when he saw that he had lost the Kaoru and Kenshin was too far behind to keep up.

Looking back had been his mistake.

Yahiko slammed into something near-rock solid and found his face implanted into the bandaged chiselled abdomen of a very tall person. A large hand took root in his spiky black hair and peeled his face away from the abdomen, before pulling him up to eye-level. Young, light brown cat eyes met, intense and matured dark brown ones, and Sanosuke smirked smugly at the look of terror and pain that was all over the boy's face.

'Short, catty-eyes, tan and hair that looks like it could impale an apple.' Sanosuke's smirk grew and he leaned to the side to wave at Kenshin and Kaoru as they finally caught up. 'I was right!' He then glanced to the side over his shoulder at the coffee house beside him. He smiled when he saw the name of the cafe, before looking back at his companions and calling out. 'Hey, can we grab a coffee? My treat!'

**For a brief second, I thought I had lost this piece. I was in shock, then I refreshed and here it was. **

**Enter Myojin-kun! I'm so excited he gets inside the plot. And I'm beyond happy I updated this quickly. I mean it is kinda short, and I'm sorry but the coronavirus stuff is getting to me so hard, with the paranoid of being locked in and what it generally means for the world in the nearest possible future.**

**But when has dread or anything else stopped me from doing anything I wanna do?**

**A lot, actually. Teehee. **

**But yeah I'm here now, and so pumped about this story as always. I hope you had fun reading. **

**Oh, and don't forget to review please! Byeee =****UwU=**


	8. Old Money and Bad Blood

**It's long and I'm tired.**

**But I do hope you enjoy ****this chappie.**

**Happy reading, little doves.**

'I'm still mad at you, don't sit beside me.'

'Oof that's rough, body.'

'Sanosuke...'

'Sanosuke you can sit with me.'

The tall brunette laughed at a crestfallen Kenshin as he accepted the invitation, settling comfortably beside Kaoru. Kenshin sighed and sat beside the boy he had caught, caging him against the wall to keep him from dashing away.

'Thanks Kaoru,' Sanosuke smiled at the sensei, before grinning smugly at a fussing Kenshin. 'I told you my plan would work.'

'What do you guys want from me?' Yahiko demanded, having grown impatient from enduring their banter from the market. Sanosuke turned his attention to him and scowled.

'You shut it punk.' The older brunette snapped at Yahiko with a viciousness that made even Kaoru flinch. The boy reluctantly backed down, grubling to himself as Kaoru reached for Sanosuke's hand. The bounty hunter sighed, softening his expression as he turned back to her.

'Sanosuke-' she started to speak, but he took her hand reassuringly and leaned over to whisper quietly to her.

'I know it looks cruel now, and I haven't even started yet. But believe me when I say this is necessary. Take a good look at the kid Kaoru,' she followed his gaze on the subdued boy. His eyes were still bright and his expression was defiant, but he had been silenced alright. 'He's been in the business for years; he is not a victim. They're a tough - his type - and they don't comply without force.'

Kaoru sucked in her breath, before shaking her head.

'Sano, he's just a boy - how can you say he's not a victim?' She frowned when he gave her a doubtful look. 'Can I at least try to reach out to him?'

'Okay,' he sighed and leaned back into the seat, his head facing the ceiling, 'but I warned you alright.'

Kenshin watched them with a passive expression on his face, dismissing all the ill gut feelings in his insides at the sight of his partner holding Kaoru's hand. She didn't notice, but Sanosuke did and he smoothly withdrew from the contact in a faux yawn.

'Hello Yahiko,' she smiled sweetly leaning forward to meet eyes that bore mistrust and resentment. 'It's going to be a while before we leave, so can we get you anything to eat? What would you like?'

'Save your pity bait for a sucker, you fat tanuki.'

Silence hung on the table of the booth like the last moments of a death row convict. Sanosuke's head snapped back up and the bounty hunters exchanged a pensive look, too afraid to be amused.

'I'LL KILL YOU!'

'KAORU CHILL OUT!'

She clawed desperately to get out of Sanosuke's bear-sized hold that was restraining her from tearing the boy before her into pieces. He shot Kenshin a pleading glance and the amused redhead hid his chuckle behind a fist, clearing his throat. Kaoru was still screaming obscenities at the boy who insulted her; the child was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, afraid that it would only make her angry enough to break out of Sanosuke's restraints.

'Yahiko Myojin.'

Kaoru and Sanosuke stopped mid-struggle to look at Kenshin, who was facing Yahiko with his eyes closed and his smile warm.

'My friend has opted to show you kindness in the face of your situation, and yet here you are showing her contempt,' he sighed and shook his head, eyes pressed beneath his fingers in a pinch. 'You who has bounties amassed upon his head from the police and gangs that rival the ones you work for. Neko-teme, is it?' Kenshin's eyelids opened enough for Yahiko to see how dark and threatening they were. 'You're a menace on Tokyo's crime-spotless streets and your head can stock up our ship for weeks, yet you were shown kindness. And you scorn it.'

'Kenshin wait-' Kaoru tried to intercede but he didn't look at her. He raised one hand to support his face in a chin-pinch hold, his icy disposition scaring the boy to bits.

'Now apologize to the missus, or I won't bother thinking about keeping the police from you.'

'I am so sorry, so very sorry!' Yahiko shot to his feet to bow profusely to Kaoru. 'Forgive my attitude onee-san, it won't happen again!'

Kaoru nodded tiredly and wordlessly waved him back into his seat, uncomfortable with the whole arrangement. A familiar waitress approached by their table and the sensei smiled in relief at the opportunity to break the ice.

'Yahiko-kun what drink would you like?'

'Sake.'

Kaoru blinked repeatedly as Sanosuke burst into snorts of laughter, holding his sides like he was holding for life.

'A true son of the street!' He chuckled after calming down and winked at the waitress who had stopped by. 'Hello again Fae, it's been a while.'

'It has! Welcome back!' Fae beamed, whipping out her notepad to take their orders. 'What would you like?'

'I'l have a shot of liqueur in my latte, darling,' Sanosuke crooned, his smile turning into a teasing smirk. Fae blushed as she scribbled it down. 'The brat would like orange juice.'

'Hey-' Yahiko started his protest, but a look from Kenshin shut him up and he nodded grudgingly. 'Yeah... okay, the juice is fine I guess.'

'Irish mocha is fine Fae-chan,' Kenshin smiled politely and nodded in Kaoru's direction. 'Can I also get iced lemon tea with a twist for the lady? Thanks.'

'Hey!' Kaoru snapped and glared at him, an act that made Yahiko giggle quietly. Kenshin ignored her, making an order for doughnuts as well. When Fae left he returned a smile to Kaoru, who narrowed her eyes at the redhead. 'I don't need you to order for me! I am still upset with you.'

'Kaoru-dono, you'll never forgive me.'

'Says who-!'

'This lover's spat can continue in the evening! We're working here!' Sanosuke put his finger on that table forcefully, silencing the two into inaudible murmurings. Satisfied, the hunter faced Yahiko. 'Alright punk, what's your deal? Why are you following the hot broad?'

Yahiko wore a doubtful expression as he sized Kaoru up, before shaking his head stubbornly.

'You may as well kill me now. Because I'll be dead before the end of the day if I answer any of your questions.'

'I'm a bounty hunter, not child-support services so that isn't really my problem,' Sanosuke rolled his eyes and scoffed. 'But if that's your worry I can easily turn you in and you won't have to worry about dying inside juvy.' Yahiko's eyes hardened and he crossed his arm across his chest, but Sanosuke steeled himself against the boy's vulnerability. It was an act, he knew and any sliver of sympathy not down the proverbial river would only make him resilient. 'Pout till the dome breaks if you like; you make me angry enough and I'll send the broad home so I can stop playing nice. Wanna test that, kid?' Kaoru watched as the stubborn shell of her young stalker started to crack, the boy squirming uncomfortably under the pressure.

'I know a lot of people in a lot of places, Myojin and I've known about you for a long time. Your family ran out of old money years before you came along. They were killed and you were collected as a mortgage. You've traded hands at least 6 times before ending up with the Hiruma Brothers, and three of those yakuza are out for your head for giving them the slip. You're pretty well known here too - slickest pickpocket in the entire division. You're good kid, real good. But my partner and caught you today because we're better.'

Yahiko gulped and shirked in his seat, all the fight in his body leaving him. No one had a such a complete, accurate profile of him - at least he tried to make sure of it. Otherwise, everyone would be vying to do him under and make tons of money off of his head. But yet two strangers and a woman had managed to track him to the last letter, backstory, bounties and all.

He had failed his mission to tail the woman and he would have to leave to avoid the death sentence that was surely waiting for him. The Hiruma brothers didn't tolerate failure after all. But with someone knowing exactly who he was, giving the brothers a slip wouldn't make a difference. He was screwed whichever way his life from there went. He slouched in his chair and hung his head, his breathing heavy as he fought his hardest not to cry.

'Yahiko-kun, are you crying?' Kaoru's heart broke, unable to bear seeing the boy put under so much pressure any longer. She reached out to touch him, but he shirked away his body shaking with contained sobs. She bit her lip to keep from crying as well and turned pleading eyes to a neutral faced Kenshin. He seemed startled by her reaction and attention, so he looked at her questioningly. 'Kenshin,' her voice was just a whisper as she leaned over to hold his hand. 'Please do something...'

Personally he did sympathise with the boy, feeling a sort of kindred spirit to him, but Sanosuke needed to break the boy's will so that he would cooperate. He had certainly never considered what would happen with the child after, but he could imagine. Without any guarantee of protection, he was a sitting duck for anybody with a grudge or lust for wealth. He was like an abandoned street pup, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to go. Kaoru was probably facing this reality fo the first time, and she clearly couldn't stomach it. He sighed and nodded his head, reaching over to squeeze her hand reassuringly.

'Not all hope is lost though, you know that, right?' Yahiko stopped his quivering at the sound of Kenshin's words but didn't look up. Kaoru's glistening eyes turned hopeful as she looked at Kenshin, who gave her a gentle reassuring smile.

Sanosuke rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Sure, let him look like the bad guy for doing grunt work. He let out a long sigh and glanced at Kaoru. When he realised she was near tears he sobered up with remorse pretty quickly, uncomfortable with how sad her empathetic nature had rendered her to be.

'I mean it. You've led a life of mistakes, none of which you can take back. But I have made mistakes too, far more than you can imagine,' Kenshin scooched closer and bent low enough to be face to face with the boy had he looked up. 'While we're alive we are lucky enough to atone for those mistakes. I do it by saving lives and putting criminals behind bars.'

Sanosuke snorted, 'and to make enough money to buy a dango and ice cream shop.'

Kenshin ignored the noise speaking with the serenity of a young and still awed father. 'You're luckier because there's still so much of life ahead of you - you can atone too and I can help you while you do that.' His voice laced with gentle encouragement. 'If you're willing to turn your life around, I'll make sure nothing ever harms you. Hunters have immunity off their pasts you know.' Yahiko finally looked up to meet Kenshin's warm gaze, his own brown eyes full of unshed tears. Kaoru let out a small gasp and covered her mouth at the child's expression. He shot her a look that failed to be menacing, but Kaoru only smiled behind her hands. Kenshin held Yahiko's shoulder. 'If you help me protect my friend, life doesn't have to be so bleak anymore, Yahiko.'

The boy wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his dark blue haori, sniffling and clearing his throat before fitting a determined look on his face.

'Would I be taught how to use a sword?'

'On my word, you'd be taught anything we can teach you.'

Yahiko wiped at his eyes again until they were dry and then looked at everyone in the booth with resolve in his eyes.

'What do you want to know?'

At that moment Fae arrived with their orders, for drinks and a whole bowled of assorted doughnuts. Sanosuke smirked when Yahiko's stomach growled in anticipation and handed him a doughnut.

'Let's start with how much you can eat, punk.'

...

'One of the conditions I had set for us to partner up was to not go about adopting strays.'

Kenshin stopped mid-eating away at his dango to stare curiously at his partner. They were on the porch of Kaoru's dojo, watching amusedly as the sensei repeatedly handed Yahiko's ass back to him in her evaluation kendo match. His amber eyes crinkled as he smiled, resuming the consumption of his sweet.

'Oh yeah, I remember that.'

'And yet here we are, responsible for a street brat.'

'Oh was that what you meant?' Kenshin's question earned him a prompt glare. 'I always thought you were referring to a stray dog or a kitten.' Kenshin wore a brief pondering look, before shrugging and continuing his snack. 'Oh well then, what is done is done.'

Sanosuke silently sneered in mimicking his partner, before groaning and lying down flat on the wooden floor of the porch.

'Hey, Kenshin.' He lifted his head up just high enough to look at his partner.

'Yeah?'

'Think we can ditch him with the tanuki and make a run for it?'

'You can definitely try, I'll be here to rat you out, and I can safely watch the aftermath knowing I was smart enough to make that decision with you.'

Sanosuke groaned out loud and fell back on to the wooden porch.

'Traitor.'

Kenshin chuckled and turned his attention back to the spar before them. Kaoru had not broken a sweat, whilst the boy seemed to be throwing everything he had at her. He lacked zero training and had no iota of innate kendo talent peeking through, but there were telling signs of the skills he did possess. His endurance, for one thing, could easily compare to grown man's, given how quickly he attacked Kaoru despite being beaten repeatedly. The way he held the sword also showed he had a history with weapons - just not one as long as the one he was holding. He was quick on his feet, never falling for the same trick used against him twice.

And for a boy as rash, as he was, he kept a very cool and level-headed demeanour throughout. Kenshin was impressed with the enormous potential the boy clearly possessed. And he wasn't the only one.

Kaoru, having spent four minutes gauging the performance of an absolute kendo layman, decided to end things quickly. Yahiko charged for her with his sword pointed straight for her stomach. Kaoru knew ducking and disarming him would not work twice, and neither would side-stepping him on either side. So she leapt up into a somersault and stroke his wrist with her bokken. He yelled in pain and let go of the sword, while Kaoru landed on one knee, her sword held facing her back. She stood up and turned back to the wincing child, ignoring Sanosuke's mocking cheers.

'To think I would have to evade like that from a completely hapless novice. Well done.'

Yahiko couldn't help the smug grin that found his way to his face, but his pride was short-lived as Kaoru headed towards the porch.

'That was abysmal though - a completely terrible performance.' She scoffed and had her nose in the air as she breezed past him. 'I'd say you've never held any type of training sword in your life.'

Yahiko's jaw dropped and he clustered furiously, indignation creeping into his voice.

'You just said well done! I-'

Kaoru stopped briefly to cross her arms and smirk, cocking her head as she interrupted him.

'I was appraising your actual skills: observation, memory retention, muscle reflexes, speed - it's all well and good, nicely done.' She nodded her head and put a hand on her hip, pointing the other at him. 'Your actual kendo skills, though? Abysmal.' She was already moving again, and she kicked Sanosuke in the knee when she reached the porch, ignoring his groggy complaints.

'I'll arrange a training regimen for you to get on as soon as we're done.' She turned to raise her brow at him, smirking smugly. 'That is, if you give us what we want.' She then looked down at Kenshin, who had since resumed happily eating away at his dango without a care at the world. With a sigh, she collected the treat from him and devoured it in two bites. He stared at her, horrification seeping into his puppy dog eyes but she only frowned and crossed her arms defiantly. 'We have to find out what the deal is with the Hiruma brothers.'

Kenshin opened his mouth to tease her, but then thought better of it and sighed, rising to his feet as he nodded. He stared at Sanosuke, then turned is attention to Yahiko. He motioned his head to the dojo and climbed up the porch, Kaoru following after. Sanosuke rose to his feet waited for Yahiko to follow suit. Once the boy reluctantly filed into the dojo, Sanosuke trailed him and shut the Shoji door.

The three males settled down in the centre while Kaoru went on to retrieve the snacks they had bought earlier that day, only sitting down after with them after she had served them snacks. Kenshin, of course, had offered to help, but she glared at him - a silent indication that she was still upset with him.

Sanosuke didn't hesitate much, immediately diving into the process of interrogating the boy of the intentions of his and his employers. Yahiko had been grudging, his replies coming out with reluctance and his answers full of jeers and snark. He was still bitter about Kaoru's criticisms, and it made him want to pull back on the deal and find his own way. She had tried a gentler hand, but he had snubbed her sympathy yet again. going so far as to declare that he might possibly prefer being on the run than having to bear with a sensei who bore so much resemblance to a tanuki.

The entire cafe scene replayed itself out, with Kaoru desperately vying to free herself from Sanosuke's with the intentions to fulfil her insistent screaming of "I'LL KILL YOU!' and "YOU MANGY STRAY CAT!" Kenshin had decidedly kept quiet, silently enjoying the free show that came with his chomping down on his dango. It was when the last of his meticulously clean stick clattered on his plate and he cleared his throat that the heated debacle came to a pause. Kenshin smiled, pleased to have gained everyone's attention

'When Kaoru-dono told us you were a kid, Sanosuke here immediately ran a screen check of all the alley brats that operated in the streets of Tokyo.' He smiled as he dropped the information. The boy looked back at the man he had snubbed curiously, then looked away. 'He didn't get any actual name of course, but he did hear of the slickest pickpocket around. You're so good no one traced it back to you actually. You're a mystery to pedestrians and vendors everywhere. Thankfully,' he flashed his partner a brief glance. 'Sanosuke has a good network of underbelly citizens who knew the phantom thief. He soon got word from one of his contacts that Hiruma Brothers had needed a new "bird" to help establish his territorial reach into Kanto division, one with money magnet hands and ears to the ground. You were recommended and signed into the gang.'

'I didn't sign anything!' Yahiko sneered, leaning forward to glare at Kenshin. 'I didn't sign a single thing.' He repeated, the words seething from his mouth.

'You're right. You didn't sign.' Kenshin agreed, cocking his head in a brief side nod. 'You were blackmailed.'

Yahiko narrowed his eyes, but the redhead sighed and rolled his eyes.

'I don't understand what your obstinance is about. We had this discussion about a needed change in your attitude and we already came to an agreement.'

'Ah well.' Yahiko shrugged and rolled his eyes, unwilling to admit that Kaoru's judgements on his lacklustre kendo skill had hurt. 'Old habits die hard.' He frowned and scoffed. 'And for all I know, you're bluffing. You don't enough to have Tokyo's authorities after me. I'm just an _alleged_ pickpocket.' He raised his hand in mock helplessness and smirked. Kenshin smiled and closed his eyes.

'Gohei or his brother, one of them threatened you,' he insisted with a smile. 'Our line of work as bounty hunters, Sano and me, demand very sharp memory Yahiko.' He spoke as though teaching a child to spell a word with more than one syllable. 'Because memory serves us well when we're hungry and we need to catch prey to eat. Just recall an old unresolved case and start hunting.'

Yahiko narrowed his eyes on him but didn't say anything.

'Sanosuke said there were about four bounties on your head, none of which just came up in the last six months. Same description, but different names. Except for the very first one - Yahiko Myojin, the son of debtors - old money gone dry.' The samurai was satisfied to see the boy's mouth had gone slack. 'The Hiruma brothers know the loan sharks in Kansai's region Okasa who put that first bounty, and the vigilante biker gang in Chubu's Niigata who put down the last. And as long as you worked for their own gang, those two never needed to know you still existed. The other two in the middle were other mobs and gang looking for the same spiky-haired, cat-eyed, double-crossing punk, all from divisions that saw a brief surge in pickpocketing stats.' He opened his eyes and sighed, leaning forward to meet Yahiko's now wary expression. 'Am I really the kind to bluff, Myojin?'

Yahiko leaned back, _you're not one the kind to fuck around with at all_, he thought warily. Feeling foolish about his acting out, he nodded at Kaoru.

'Gohei had it out for your dad. Something about kendo and honour.' He said with a non-committal shrug. 'You ever got nagged about this property before?'

Kaoru considered his words as she quietly nibbled on a Pocky stick. She frowned as she tried to remember.

'After otou-san died,' she blanched as she remembered her father's passing. 'The lawyer ket trying to pester me about a potential buyer. A family friend helped me tel theme off. Three months later someone caught me at a restaurant asking about the property.' She tapped her chin as she jogged her memory. 'Since then... when I my degree education which was like five years later... then last year after the final class before the summer break.' She frowned even more as she focused back on Yahiko. 'The brothers' want my family home?' Indignation crept into her low, raspy voice. Shadow was cast on her eyes when she nodded, and she looked down. 'What was it about kendo and honour?'

'Family feud. Your old man was Gohei's sensei back in the day. Strict about your family's fighting styles and all that. Gohei thought your family philosophies were all crap-bull and shit,' he grinned mirthlessly when he saw her flinching at then the sound of his vocabulary. 'His brother had sent him here to check out the property though - they were looking for an operating base at the time, so I heard-'

'In the residential sector. With tax-paying, law-abiding citizens... in crime-less Tokyo.' Kaoru's voice was dry and the boy shrugged.

'I wasn't around then so do what you will with what I know,' he offered defensively. 'Anyways Gohei got testy when your dad went off on him for bringing a gun and threatening another student. He wanted a match against the old man - he bet the property deed on if he won, and his membership of the dojo otherwise. They wanted to scam the guy out of the house' Yahiko shook his head and snorted. 'Then the goofball underestimated the guy, got his right hand all banged up and became a lefty.' He smirked again. 'An accumulation of blatant disrespect against them from your family. They tried to dupe you of your house but that didn't work. Then Gohei went insane enough to go on a killing spree as divine justice to avenge himself.' He paused and then shrugged. 'Or something like that, really.'

Kaoru nodded slowly and blinked, before laughing and shaking her head.

'A turf war with a law-abiding citizen,' She cackled and fell back against the floor in hysterical bliss. 'To think otou-san thought Tokyo was timelessly crime-free.' She sighed and threw an arm over her face. The bounty hunters glanced at her worriedly, before turning back to Yahiko.

'So where and when were you going to report back to them?' Sanosuke asked, his brows furrowed in thought.

...

'Kaoru-dono~'

Silence met his teasing call and he sighed. Sanosuke had just relieved him of his shift to monitor a sleeping Yahiko, in case he decided to be funny. He was hoping he could talk with her before he went to bed. But she was clearly insisting on stubbornly resisting him.

He couldn't, for the life of it, understand why she stayed this long being mad at him.

'Kaoru-dono. This charade must end sometime soon you know.'

No reply came. Kenshin rolled his eyes and let his forehead fall against the door lightly.

'I really am sorry love, that I am.' He sighed and brushed his fingers against the doorknob. 'I'll come to check in tomorrow. Goodnight.'

He sighed again when no reply came, then walked away.

Not knowing that no one was on the other side of the door.

**COVID-19 is evil, Draco X Hermione fanfics are of the devil, and I missed all my online classes.**

**Happy quarantine everyone!**

**And a happy Good Friday indeed.**


	9. A Challenger Approaches!

**I live! The virus failed to infiltrate my home! I live!**

**Yo.**

Kenshin yawned and trudged out of the guestroom at the smell of ham and bacon. He smiled sleepily at the thought of Kaoru cooking and hummed in a low tone at the anticipation of a good meal. Kaoru couldn't be that bad of a cook and now he had a chance to prove her wrong and get her on his good graces with his gratitude. However, the sight that met him in the kitchen was not the lovely fire-blooded ravenette.

It was a boy. A short, spiky headed boy in an apron too big for him and several shades too pink. Yahiko was unaware of the fact that he was watched and Sanosuke seemingly appeared from nowhere to nudge his partner gently by his side. He snickered under his breath as he waved around his polaroid camera.

'Kaoru's gonna get a kick out of this! He's completely housebroken! Tamed! Domesticated!' He slapped his knee as he laughed quietly. Yahiko flinched at the noise, realizing he had been caught and froze. 'And they say these things don't happen overnight!' Yahiko slowly turned and faced the bounty hunters with a terrified expression.

Three things suddenly became apparent to the redhead. For one, Kaoru had specifically warned them to not let Yahiko do anything funny till she awoke. Two, Yahiko's present condition was funny in every way, but that meant that Kaoru's words had not been heeded and they were in tons of trouble. Three, that trouble should have come by now, given the time of the day and the issue on ground they had to deal with.

Kenshin spun on his heels, leaving behind two confused spiky heads and went straight for Kaoru's room. He knocked once, twice then three times before he forced the door open. Kaoru's room was drafty and for good reason - the windows were left open and the room was empty.

Sanosuke was just behind him in seconds, Yahiko secured tightly in his grip by the collar.

'Did you know about this, kid?' The older spiky head growled threateningly, but Yahiko vehemently denied knowing anything about her plans or motives.

'But we know her motives, Sagara-san,' Kenshin's voice had a deceptive calm to it as he spoke. He turned his transfixed stare to his partner, his eyes an angry amber. 'And we know where she's going.'

'Right.' Sanosuke nodded stiffly, understanding the current mood his partner was in and feeling his worry and annoyance in equal measure. Both of them looked down to meet Yahiko's eyes which were wide with disbelief and fear.

'She went after a bunch of thugs on her own... she's crazy. Tanuki-san is actually crazy...' he trailed off when he realised he was under both men's scrutiny and cleared his throat. 'We talked during her shift and she asked about little details like how the bases operate and their watch schedule, but I swear I thought it was curiosity! Honest!'

'I believe you.' Kenshin just pat his head reassuringly and Sanosuke did the same, albeit with a lot less gentleness.

'Yeah little man, your cooking stint won me over!' Sanosuke declared with a shark-eating grin and bent over to meet his eyes. 'Now you're just gonna prove worthy of that trust and take us to the missus, yes?'

…

Kaoru's hands pensively settled on the controls, regretting not for the first time since she boarded the Battoussai 2.0, her refusal to learn how to fly. She had nearly crashed Kenshin's precious fighter-jet three times already before she had gotten a grip of how to stir and slowdown the thing.

Not that she had intentions of slowing down – she had a couple of bones to pick with a bunch of thugs. They had murdered respectable women in her neighbourhood, threatened the reputation of her school, dragged her family name through the scandalous mud, wrecked her home, tried to kill at least twice and apparently, they wanted her property? Kaoru was done playing the earnest but helpless civilian and was going to bring down the wrath of the Kamiya Kashin style so help her-

The craft shuddered as the wing scrapped against a skyscraper and Kaoru swallowed at the idea of what the vehicle must be looking like right now. Hopefully, Kenshin would forgive her for this. Coming up a bend, she stepped on the brakes hard enough to drift by it before going to a higher altitude with considerably fewer obstacles. Once in the clear – just below the clouds – she set the jet on auto-pilot to recalibrate her agenda.

Yahiko was expected to return within a specific time frame via an agreed location: the market. If he had been caught but he escaped he was to take find his way between the residential and commercial districts to a secondary base. The only place safe enough for Kaoru to infiltrate was the main base – a run-down arcade at Tokyo's now-defunct airport district. People still parked their crafts there all the time, but there were no regulating or safety officers and no law-enforcers. This made the pilots and the craft fair game to any gangs that lurked the area – specifically the Hiruma's.

She stroked the four-leafed clover Kenshin hung by his rearview mirror absentmindedly for luck and entered the co-ordinates of her destination into the autopilot's GPS. She was humming to herself, a small smile on her face despite the danger she was going to walk right into. The communication systems were the one's that snapped her of her reverse bursting into song. She winced as she felt for the ringing phone she had connected to it and groaned when she saw the caller ID.

'Sanosuke I am fifteen minutes away from their base. You couldn't stop me if you seized control of the district's airspace right now.'

'You overestimate my friend's reach of influence, Kaoru-dono.'

Oh.

'What? No answer for me? I bet you would not even pick up if I called you on my phone.'

That was not true exactly.

Hearing his voice had brought her out of her calm and her nerves had started eating her up inside. If she had seen his ID instead of Sanosuke's, the panic would've broken free much sooner and she'd be on her way back home, breaking down over the phone to tell him how scared and angry and confused she had been all this time. How him calling her only let her out of her denial to realise this.

'I'm sorry for being such a nuisance recently Kaoru-dono, but we are all very worried for you. Let me make it up to you and bring you the justice you need. You don't need to do this.'

Kaoru's eyes narrowed to slits on the phone and she promptly ended the call.

She didn't need to do this - he was right of course. And she would have listened if she knew he was calling. He would have reached right into the centre of her worries and calmed her down. He'd soothe her, reassure her and probably even give her tips on how to fly back home and she would have gone through with it.

But she wanted to do this. She wanted to take justice for herself.

She re-assumed control of the aircraft and stepped on the accelerator, hoping to get there faster than she had originally estimated.

She wasn't even mad at Kenshin anymore.

Meanwhile, Sanosuke had to pry out of his partner's iron grip to get his phone back.

'Hey! Kenshin, man - hey. Hey!'

He had managed to snap his smaller built partner out of his daze of fury and soon had his eyes locked with a pair of molten amber. Sanosuke tightened his grip on Kenshin's shoulders and nodded slowly.

'She's smart, Kenshin. She's not going to die.'

''You realise she nearly died twice by their hand already.'

'But she didn't - despite being caught by surprise no less.'

'She's hopelessly outclassed Sanosuke and I do not intend to have her further at risk by trying to convince myself otherwise.' Kenshin made to step to of his partner's grip but said grip only tightened even more.

'I'm not overestimating her Kenshin. We are going to go to her. But she's smart. She has a plan - whatever the hell it is. And if we get in the middle of it then she's more likely to die now isn't she?' Kenshin narrowed his eyes and then looked away, his expression still furious. The taller man nodded and side-glanced the direction Kenshin was glaring at. 'You're the one who calls the shots man, so make sure your head is clear before you shoot any.'

Kenshin only sighed and closed his eyes.

'Yahiko.'

'Yeah?' the young boy had quietly been observing the two men, in awe of how much they seemed to have changed yet again, moreover how it easy it was for them to do so ever so often. When Kenshin turned to look at the boy his eyes were their normal amethyst again. Yahiko wondered who the Battousai was before he was a bounty hunter.

'You remember what Sanosuke said about proving yourself worthy of our trust, yes?' the boy nodded fervently and Kenshin only sighed. 'You don't have to do anything to prove yourself to us. That you are here is enough-'

'Wha-' Sanosuke began but Kenshin shook his head at his partner. 'I don't trust him that much! Hence the need to prove himself! Come on man-'

'Gee, thanks.' Yahiko deadpanned in a dry tone. 'Mighty swell of ya.'

'-and you can risk being captured again if you come with us. The Hiruma would not take kindly to your failure or betrayal.'

Yahiko blinked and hung his head.

'Well nothing they can do to me that I haven't taken before - short of getting killed,' he had the gall to chuckle nervously and sighing. 'And I'm sure the tanuki is tough and all - but if she slips up, she wouldn't be able to handle what those bastards will do to her.' He clenched his fists as he looked at the hunters with determination in his eyes. 'Besides the only person who can kick her ass like a proper gentleman is me!' The amused expression on their faces made him compose himself and he cleared his throat. 'I guess you both stand a chance, but she'll probably wipe the floor with you. She's a pretty scary one, that wench.'

Sanosuke laughed and clapped his hands together.

'Do you kiss your mother with that mouth kid?'

'Nah, just her headstone.'

The men groaned and avoided his blank expression.

'Not cool punk ass. Now you have two reasons to wash that mouth.'

Yahiko shrugged and looked at Kenshin with the same determined browns from before.

'So how do we get Kamiya-sensei back?'

...

She was going to learn to fly after this. Maybe Sanosuke would teach her.

Then again the bounty hunters wouldn't stay with her forever now would they?

She decided she would enroll for weekend classes. Maybe a few nights too.

The hangars were mostly untended to, loitered with the standard ne'er do wells and riffraff. The entire airport seemed void of respectable people altogether. Unphased, she made for the hangar most populated with aircraft and parked the jet there. It was perfectly wedged between two luxury jets, no doubt acquired through ill means.

Once she was sure the aircraft as secure enough to be left alone, she made her way out of the hangar and walked out on to the tarmac she had made a show of flexing her aching muscles and popping the air bubbles in her joints. She was in one of her more expensive clothing, specifically her mother's matching hakama and keikogi, with one of her father's kimono bearing the family emblem on the back. Whatever spies were present would already be falling over their feet to inform the bosses of her presence. They probably were already expecting her to find her way back to them anyways. She didn't mind. She wanted them to know she was here, brazen and bold and foolish even. She needed them to know she was here.

A few eyes scooped her in and Kaoru made a point to note the ones affiliated with the Hiruma brothers. Yahiko had told her that the favoured colour was green and the tattooed they wore paid adage to their bosses' last names - daylight. Tattoos of the sun, the number of noon, kanji or symbols, if they alluded to the daylight hours then the wearers served the Hiruma brothers. It was a nifty cliché, but Kaoru appreciated its functionality. She had already identified six of the loafers slouching around. They were sharper than the others - more watchful, alert of their surroundings. They were watching her too. She smiled and started to walk her way leisurely along the runway tarmac.

She didn't even pick up the pace when she started being followed.

'Kamiya-san.'

'Did you hit your head?'

'On your way here?'

Kaoru didn't stop walking even though the two speakers were right behind her now.

'My travels were well, thank you.'

'Ouu she isn't scared~'

'Which is stupid of her really.'

'Let's correct that and give her something to fear.'

'After all, fear is the beginning of wisdom.'

The two exchanged smiles behind her. Between their red eyes and their ashen white hair, they looked like harbingers of death. They unsheathed their long knives and crisscrossed to her front. They smiled when her carriage shifted from relaxed to alert and leapt back in the air when they closed in to attack. Kaoru narrowed her eyes but the two only smiled and tugged at their knives again. Before gravity could let her descend into landing, iron lines so thin they could barely be seen snapped around her ankle and dragged her back towards the ground. But rather than fall back to where she leapt from, Kaoru turned her body mid-air and landing to the side rather than in their line of sight, unsheathing her blade and holding it before her. They only shared another smile.

'You must think of yourself a match Kamiya-san.'

'But you've played sensei far too long'

They tugged at their knives again with twice as much force, but nothing happened to her. The look they exchanged this time was one of confusion.

'We got the boy you sent to us singing like a canary in the mating season after our session with him. And I know the tricks the Hiruma Brothers' most prized hit men play to win.' Kaoru dusted her sleeves as she spoke before fixing them both a levelled stare. 'Now I can demystify you both in the presence of all these people and word will spread so far that rivals will encroach your turf to challenge your bosses, which will make them upset.' Kaoru could have been lecturing a pouting child. She stood up from her stance and held her sword to her side. 'Or you can take me to them and make them happy, yes?'

The white-haired mercenaries glared at her for a moment but when they groaned in unison, Kaoru quietly released the bated breath she didn't know she was holding. Yahiko had told her about the Kisaki brothers, mercenaries who were feared mostly for using "black paralysis/puppeteering magic" on their targets. This was possible with a simple magnetic contraception of high tensile wires connected to the hilt of their blades. Combining the strength of the magnets with the precision of their throws made them far more threatening than they actually were. If one could successfully avoid being caught by those wires or escaping their hold, that undid the "spell" and forced the brothers to rely on their average combat skills. This would be enough for most civilians, but not against a teacher of swordsmanship.

She followed their lead as they made their way to a more occupied hangar, careful to keep her guard up against anyone planning to creep on her and knock her out. The idea of being unarmed in front of the brothers' was terrifying enough to keep her alert. Sure enough, members of the mob group sprinkled in the clusters of society's less-stellar civilians started moving in the same direction she and the Kisaki brothers were going, though they didn't try to close in towards them. They seemed aware that Kaoru was watching though, so they didn't do anything. She narrowed her eyes all the same and made sure to never let her hand leave the hilt.

The closer they got to the hangar, the more relaxed Kaoru became. Occasionally she would sweep round a glance to see that the others were simply heading where she was, albeit skulking in the shadows instead of joining them. But it seemed clear that no one was ready to attempt to jump her. She decided to focus her attention on the brothers. They were talking quietly amongst themselves and shuffling the pockets of their hakama. The corner of her eye noticed similar movement, but the person was only fiddling with their turtleneck.

She relaxed again when she saw another one only tie on a bandana on his mouth. She let her eyes wander and she saw that the turtleneck fiddler only had his collar over his mouth. She rolled her eyes and caught sight of one sneezing into his handkerchief before she looked ahead. They were entering the hangar, and no sooner did a couple of beats pass before she was suddenly aware of how humid the air was. The windows were shut and maintenance engines were running so hard the air was hot. She wondered how everyone was comfortable with masks on –

Masks?

Kaoru focused her attention on her escorts. They were smiling back at her as they pulled a mask over their nose. One glance told her that everyone else was wearing masks too. She reached for her hilt but then the toxins in the gas finally hit her full force. Her senses were assaulted by double vision, then tunnel vision.

Then black.

...

Sanosuke and Kenshin stormed the gambling pit in the slums of the market district, swords unsheathed and all. People inched away from Sanosuke's giant horse-cleaving broadsword and cowered from Kenshin's burning gaze. Some braver ones, comrades of the dealer no doubt tried to confront him, but a couple of punches was enough to keep them at bay.

'Are you punks crazy? What's your deal with us eh, come by my joint and make a damn scene? I don't owe you nothin-'

'I do not need your ill acquired fees, that I don't,' the redhead calmly interrupted. 'But I am very hard-pressed for time, so it would be in your best interest to not waste it.' The tip of the reverse-edged katana nicked the throat of the dealer, drawing blood. Recognition instantly flashed in his eyes and he raised his hands defensively. Sanosuke frowned when the guy showed no intention of concealing his daylight tattoo of the sun and the noon hour, and the street thug grinned at him.

'I take it you're looking for that sword-happy wench then?' he teased and then cried out when Kenshin applied more pressure to the sword. 'What do you want already? Didn't that cocky gutter-punk tell you guys where to find the boss?' Kenshin only pressed even more and the man was gasping now. 'The broad and the boy? Alright fine! No more nasty words!'

Kenshin only tilted his head and raised a brow at him.

'The location Yahiko gave us was to lead us into a trap, wasn't it?' He said evenly. 'Neither Kaoru nor your comrades were present at the hideout that he informed us to be your HQ. My jet, the one Kamiya-san flew in belonged to me. It's not there either, but the tracks were.'

All around them people watched he exchange cautiously, gasping from the sidelines of bystanders and taking pictures but not saying intervening. The gamble dealer chuckled mirthlessly and let out a raspy sigh.

'Battousai they never really arrested that killer, right?' he questioned with a tut in his tone. 'Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea since you share the same name.'

'Tell him what we need to know or I'll make sure every gambling pit owned by your boss in Tokyo is trashed, and I'll slather your name all over it.' Sanosuke said finally, his own patience since gone. 'Where did you people take the lady sensei?'

'They're already gone man,' he sighed wistfully and then winked. 'There's more than one way a woman can pay up debt by the way, did you know Battousai?'

Kenshin narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

'Kenshin! Sanosuke! I got in and got everything we need!' Yahiko's voice rang through the crowd. Sanosuke caught sight of the boy waving around some keys and a tracking device then turned to nod at Kenshin. In turn, the redhead sheathed his sword and used the hilt to knock out the dealer, sticking his red adam's apple with enough force to send him to the ground. He then turned to apologize to the spectators of the scene with a remorseful bow.

'I apologize for all the trouble. We will be on our way now.' He stood up and gave a small, comforting smile. 'But a call to the police would be most helpful. That man is complicit to a kidnapping.' Sanosuke rolled his eyes and yanked his partner by the arm into motion. 'Sanosuke! You should have apologized as well!'

'Later mom, gotta go save dad.'

'Wha- excuse me, sir,

'I'll have you know my daddy energy is-'

'Shush Kenshin.'

'Yes sir.'

The two met Yahiko holding onto keys and a GPS.

'The boss switched bases today. I think he was expecting you two to show up because he had been planning the move for a while. Kaoru showing up instead must've changed course. They're heading for their spaceship.'

'Damnit the bastard wants to get away!'

'Yeah, but I got us away to catch up really fast.' Yahiko dangled the keys to motorcycles with a smug expression on his face and tossed them to the samurai bounty hunter. Kenshin, in turn, handed one to his partner. The boy lumped the redhead by the arm. 'i'm riding with Kenshin!'

'Of course, you are,' Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle. He nodded to his partner, his expression quickly turning serious.

'Let's go get her back.' Sanosuke urged with a nod. The other two males nodded back.

...

Kaoru woke up to the sound of jazz music and the smell of tobacco.

'Nii-san, the wench is awake.'

'Now now Gohei, that's not how to treat a lady of this calibre.'

'Well give me a knife and I'll do it right nii-san.'

Kaoru wanted to say something to catch them off their rocker, but her tongue felt so heavy and her head was all fuzzy and...

..drugged?

Gohei grumbled at the older man who lounged in the sofa of her location. An effort-intensive glance told her she was in some sort of space ship, though it was far more luxurious than the Banza. She returned her gaze to the Hiruma brother's just in time to be face to face with Gohei's cruel grin.

And then his grainy boot.

Kaoru let out a heavy grunt as her head reeled from the impact of the shove and she spat out blood from the wound that formed in her mouth.

'Gohei see what you did, now there's blood on my floor.'

'Not enough if you ask me,' the bigger, darker man grunted and then walked off to the sidelines. The other brother gave Kaoru a sympathetic smile and rose to his feet. He was short and grey-haired, with skin wizened by age and a life full of mobster living. He tapped the butt of his cigar till ashes dropped in the ashtray on his stool and then made his way to the bound up Kaoru. On the floor, half kneeling and half lying she was just a bit below his eye-level.

'Forgive my little brother, he's never had the sense to act decently around a woman.' he tipped his head lightly at the wary sensei. 'Hiruma Kihei, Kamiya-san.'

'Eat... a-aa-ass...' Kaoru hissed and spat on the man's face. 'S-s-sc-scum.'

The old man was not amused.

'Well it would appear you're not ready to be civilised.' he mused, drawing a deep breath from his cigar. 'I mean you had avoided perusing and then death - I had thought you did all that so you could come to me personally to negotiate like true equals. I see now I am wrong. Perhaps Goheoi would make for better company?'

The ravenette weakly turned to the man who was fuming at her audacity to scorn his older brother. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists as his eyes gleamed with a promise of wickedness and she turned say so fast her neck hurt. She examined herself and realised she was purple with bruises and her father's kimoneo mostly ruined by manhandling. ...damn it.

'...s-s-ssorry Hi-hiruma-ssama.'

'I knew you were a real lady!' Kihei beamed and pat her head like she was an obedient dog, before signalling to his brother. With a grunt the man walked away and the older man shook his head forlornly. 'Gohei has had so many run-ins with women in power he may have gone mad with anger, so forgive him truly. Your father having set him on the path to delinquency makes the situation worse for you, I imagine. A shame really.'

Kaoru let out a weak snort ad polled her head to the side to appraise her captor.

'G-g-gohei was already r-r-rotten, K-k-kihei-s-s-ssama.'

The older man only shrugged, turning to head back to his couch.

'He was certainly foolish. Risking our plans to acquire such an inconspicuous asset on a foolish gamble. All because of an ego problem of being second best to a woman.'

'Yahiko n-never said w-w-woman-'

'Yahiko doesn't know as much as he likes to think,' Kihei retorted with a snort, reaching behind him to grab a beer. 'He was promising, by the way, but you had to interfere with that too, didn't you?' he helped himself to a gulp and sighed heavily. 'No matter. He's replaceable. We were talking about our mother after all.'

For the second time looking up hurt her.

'M-mother?'

'Yes, she was the top of the class. Gohei couldn't stand the fact that it was so. And as captain of the school, he hated that he was passed over because of her skill.'

'That's how things should be.' Kaoru's voice was so strained in completing that sentence properly that it was raspy. She scowled at him, infuriated by the fact that everything she did seemed to hurt. 'What did you do to me?'

'Nothing major, just gas poisoning. Gohei wanted to bring you more harm but that was unnecessary so I stopped him. He'll be getting the antidote with the lawyer to broker our deal.' the grey-haired geezer leaned back as he lit another cigar. 'He didn't believe women should lead much even if society said they merited it. It's not his fault though,' he smiled at her and suddenly Kaoru's skin wanted to crawl in under itself and perish. 'He got that from me.'

Just then Gohei returned to the room, with a blue-tailor suit-wearing lawyer armed with a briefcase behind him. His index finger pushed up his circular glasses up his nose bridge. Kihei smiled at Kaoru before making his way to introduce the attorney.

'This is Barrister Kurokuma Lin, a dear old friend of the family. He'll be presiding over the signing over of deeds to our family, wouldn't you Kurokuma-san?' The lawyer had the most bored expression on his face, but he sighed and nodded. Kihei beamed. 'Now Gohei if you could give Kaoru the antidote? She needs to be fully conscious and consent to us, no?'

'..n-n-neverrr...'

'Careful you feisty witch or I'll burn it all and no one will have it.' the old man signalled his sibling to do the honours. Gohei swiftly closed in and forced her mouth open, a vial of dark blue in his hand.

'Drink up you little slut,' he forced the bitter liquid down her throat and held her jaw with nearly enough power to snap it. 'You should have stayed at home to swallow the Battousai's own liquid, but know you forget your place and come here thinking you have a chance to beat us.'

Kaoru wished she could have spat it all out if only to spite the foul murderer, but the pain was too much and she needed to move freely again. When the liquid finished he shoved her aside and started to return to his position by the wall of the spaceship's room.

'Where do you think you're going? Am I expected to write like this?' she held up her shackled wrists, smug with glee from finally feeling like herself again. Gohei groaned when his brother had him unbind her. He groaned louder when she immediately used her head to butt him under his chin. She immediately sidestepped his angry stagger toward her and launched for the lawyer. 'Kihei-sama. You must think rally low of women if you just expected me to submit so easily.'

The old man scowled and rolled his eyes at her holding his attorney in a death grip.

'Woman he's just as disposable as Yahiko. Do your worst, but promise you Gohei will carry you out of this room in piec-'

'Relax old man, I'm not going to kill your disposable lawyer.' And she didn't. She kicked him in the crook of his knee and him crumble with a low groan. 'I'm sorry Kurokuma-san, but I don't need you to broker this deal for me.' At that Kihei's ears perked and he appraised her curiously.

'You came to negotiate?'

'Of course.' Kaoru said smugly and nodded in Gohei's direction. 'Unless this Battousai wouldn't want a woman to best him, finishing what my father started?'

Gohei scowled and cracked his knuckles.

'Your father was nothing. You are even less. I will enjoy putting you in your place, wench.'

'Right back 'atcha bro.' Kaoru chuckled dryly and looked away, hoping he wouldn't smell her nervousness.

Kihei frowned and glared at his brother.

'We lost the last time, Gohei. Do not risk the fate of this mob on your foolishness.'

But Gohei did not even acknowledge his brother. He reached for the sword's sheath at his side and tossed the shorter one to Kaoru.

'Outside, Tanuki. Come learn your place.

**It seems I need to split this into two. Huh.**

**Happy Reading! =UwU=**


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